New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at 80 locations across 16 states and union territories and arrested two people on Thursday as part of a major crackdown on cybercrime networks behind digital arrest scams, officials familiar with the matter said.
The investigation agency said in a statement that the action came after the detection of a fraudulent website with a URL “deceptively similar” to the official website of the Supreme Court, which was allegedly used by scammers to target victims.
Digital arrest scam has emerged as one of the most dangerous forms of online extortion where victims are contacted by individuals impersonating police officers, central agency investigators or judicial officials. Victims are threatened with involvement in criminal activity and forced to make payments to avoid arrest or prosecution.
The RBI said the raids were carried out by 60 special teams in Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal, Manipur, Karnataka and Odisha.
“The searches were conducted as part of an ongoing investigation aimed at dismantling a targeted operational network involved in more than 200 cases of digital arrest fraud,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency arrested two persons, P Naresh from Chennai and Sanjib Saha from Kolkata, for their alleged involvement in setting up shell companies and opening bank accounts used to channel and launder money obtained through fraud, the spokesman said, adding, “These accounts were used to launder money across the world.” $2 crore in suspected proceeds of crime.
“The fraudsters allegedly used this fraudulently registered domain, which is deceptively similar to the official website of the Supreme Court of India, to cheat victims under the guise of digital arrest. Based on a complaint received from the Registry of the Supreme Court of India, the CBI registered an FIR and initiated an investigation into the matter,” the CBI said.
The agency leveraged advanced forensic tools and technical expertise to identify critical elements of the criminal infrastructure operating within India and abroad.
“The investigation revealed that the perpetrators uploaded forged and fabricated documents, including fake orders similar to those issued by courts and various law enforcement agencies, to lend credibility to their fraudulent activities,” the agency said.
During the inspections, the CBI seized several incriminating documents on digital devices, mobile phones and records related to banking transactions. She added that she was being examined as part of the investigation.
The RBI said it has also found evidence to suggest that, in addition to Indian citizens, citizens of several other countries may have been defrauded by the same network, adding that relevant law enforcement agencies in those jurisdictions are being alerted through appropriate channels.
