New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) As the cases of digital arrests see a sharp uptick, the CBI on Wednesday carried out coordinated, nationwide searches at approximately 40 locations across Delhi NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala and West Bengal in connection with a transnational cyber-enabled “digital arrest” fraud, as part of ongoing Operation Chakra V.

The central agency, in its press note, said that it had registered a comprehensive FIR, based on the complaints received on the NCRP Portal of I4C MHA from nine different victims of digital arrest.

“CBI then conducted a detailed investigation by focusing on both mule accounts and telecommunication channels used to approach the victim. This led to the identification of approximately 40 individuals who were part of the organised cybercrime network perpetrating the digital arrest fraud,” the CBI said.

During the operation, CBI has unearthed an extensive domestic facilitation network found involved in supplying mule bank accounts and enabling parallel hawala channels for layering and movement of proceeds of crime.

Investigation revealed that part of the money had been withdrawn in India, and the remaining was sent abroad, to be then withdrawn from foreign ATMs.

“Analysis of more than 15000 IP addresses revealed that the perpetrators of the digital arrest frauds were carrying out their operations from foreign locations, including Cambodia and using Indian mule account holders to carry out layering and integration of proceeds of crime,” it said.

The network was found to have supported high-value fund flows through coordinated mules and money transfer agents, and high-speed money movement was carried out using Fintech infrastructure.

The agency further said that ‘Digital Devices, KYC documents, SIM cards, and WhatsApp communication archives recovered during the searches are being examined to establish end-to-end linkages among domestic facilitators and main conspirators, and to map the modus operandi, financial trails, and communication infrastructure used in the offence.”

This reflects CBI’s commitment to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes through sustained intelligence-led operations, inter-agency coordination, and the use of advanced digital forensics to counter complex transnational fraud networks.

–IANS

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