Mumbai Cyber police have arrested six people, including an IIT Delhi graduate and a private bank operations manager, for allegedly defrauding a 68-year-old Dahisar resident of Rs 1.12 crore in a digital arrest scam, according to police officials cited by The Indian Express.
The accused allegedly impersonated officials from the Telecom Department, police and other government agencies before threatening the victim with arrest in a fake Rs 238-crore money-laundering case. Police said the accused showed the victim a fabricated Supreme Court notice and kept him under “digital arrest” through WhatsApp video calls.
The alleged fraud took place between July 30 and August 12. The victim was reportedly forced to transfer the money after being told that he was under investigation and faced arrest. The case highlights how digital communication tools are being used to create the appearance of official proceedings and maintain prolonged control over victims without any physical detention.
The arrested individuals were identified as Gaurav Mahesh Goyal, 40, a web developer who graduated from IIT Delhi; Shikhar Mukesh Tyagi, 28, a private bank operations manager; Rajesh Kumar Mohanlal Jain, 54; Mohammad Tariq Anwar Momin, 49; Ajay Kumar Kaliprasad Sharma, 35; and Chintankumar Sureshbhai Desai, 46. The allegations against them have not been tested in court.
DCP (Cyber) Bajrang Bansode said investigators traced the first bank account that received the victim’s money. Police alleged that this led them to a wider network involved in arranging bank accounts and SIM cards to receive and transfer proceeds from fraud. Police also said Desai travelled to Delhi and Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh with associates to collect the money.
Investigators seized 20 mobile phones, two laptops, 25 bank accounts, ATM cards, passbooks and Aadhaar cards during the investigation. Police said Goyal is also an accused in a 2021 case registered by Bandra police.
The case demonstrates the operational structure behind such frauds as described by investigators: impersonation and intimidation at the front end, followed by the use of multiple accounts and communication connections to move the money. The Mumbai Cyber police investigation is continuing, with the seized devices, documents and financial accounts expected to be examined as part of the probe.
