CBI searches 89 locations across 20 States in crackdown against ‘digital arrest’ syndicates; three held

According to the CBI, the searches led to the seizure of incriminating banking documents, account-related records, digital devices, and other crucial evidence, which are now being forensically examined. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has carried out searches at 89 locations across 20 States in connection with three major “digital arrest” scam cases as part of Operation Chakra-VI, arresting three persons so far.The coordinated searches were aimed at tracing the proceeds of fraud and identifying the beneficiaries and handlers behind the syndicates, the agency said on Friday (September 4, 2026).“The operations were meticulously planned on the basis of detailed financial and technical analysis, including examination of bank accounts and online account access data,” it said.One of the cases pertains to BITS Pilani, where the victim was kept under “digital arrest” for three months, and ₹7.67 crore was extorted from him by scammers posing as police officers.In another case, the accused used a similar modus operandi to trap a resident of Gujarat into believing that he had been digitally arrested. The victim was kept under “digital arrest” for three months and allegedly extorted of ₹19.24 crore.In the third case, a victim in Karnataka was forced to pay ₹15.45 crore over a period of one month.“The searches led to the seizure of incriminating banking documents, account-related records, digital devices, and other crucial evidence, which are now being forensically examined to unravel the wider financial and technological infrastructure sustaining the "digital arrest" syndicates operating across State boundaries,” the agency said.Three arrestedDuring the operation, the CBI arrested three persons. Their examination revealed their specific roles in receiving, layering and dispersing the fraud proceeds, the investigating agency said.“Akash, a resident of Haryana, was found to have received ₹1.95 crore of the defrauded amount into his account. He had opened the account himself and swiftly transferred the money to other accounts on the same day, establishing his direct link to laundering the proceeds,” the CBI said.The agency said accused Raja Karmakar of Kolkata received ₹1.5 crore of the fraud proceeds in his firm’s account. It alleged that Jyoti Rani, into whose account a portion of the defrauded sum was credited, withdrew part of it in cash and transferred the remaining amount to other accounts, thereby actively participating in dispersing the money to obscure its trail.“Efforts are underway to track down and apprehend the remaining accused involved in the wider network,” the CBI said.Taking serious note of the alarming scale of such crimes, the Supreme Court has directed the CBI to take concerted action against the perpetrators and the wider networks facilitating such offences. Published - September 04, 2026 04:58 pm IST