Special Cell Busts Fake Digital Arrest Racket In Delhi, 3 Held

New Delhi: The Special Cell’s IFSO Unit of the Delhi Police has busted an international syndicate running a fake digital arrest scam by arresting three suspects involved in IVR fraud, also allegedly known as digital arrest. The accused of the syndicate impersonated officials from the police, CBI, customs, and other government bodies and used to threaten the victims with arrest or penalties over some prohibited parcels. Further in the name of resolving the issue, they used to defraud them.

The accused have been identified as Prabhat Kumar Shah (24), Rajesh Kumar alias Raja (27) and Arjun Singh (29 ), all residents of Delhi. The police have recovered three mobile phones and SIM cards, passbooks, cheque books, documents, 2 PAN cards, and stamps and seals related to fake companies. In addition to it, Rs 20 lakh was frozen and returned to the victims of the fraud case.

According to the official of the Delhi Police, with the arrest of these three suspects, the IFSO Unit successfully dismantled a module responsible for providing, handling, and using fake bank accounts in connection with digital arrest fraud. The accused were operating fake companies to siphon the proceeds of their crimes abroad.

Woman Defrauded Of Rs 55 Lakh

As per the police, on September 12, 2024, a complaint was filed at IFSO, Special Cell, wherein the complainant alleged that on the morning of September 9, 2024, she received a phone call wherein someone claimed to be an officer at the Customs Office, Mumbai Airport. After confirming her identity, the caller informed her that customs officials had intercepted a parcel on September 6, 2024, containing 16 fake passports, 58 ATM cards, and 40 grams of MDMA, with her details listed as the sender. He further claimed that the Mumbai Police had issued an arrest warrant against her, and she must surrender.

The police further stated that the fraudsters escalated the intimidation by asserting that a CBI investigation was underway and that her arrest was imminent. Till the pendency of physical arrest, she was put under “digital arrest” by keeping continuous surveillance through WhatsApp video calls.

Over the course of these calls, different individuals posing as senior officers from the Mumbai Police, CBI and various law enforcement agencies, pressured her to transfer funds under the pretext of verifying her accounts to avoid money laundering charges. In total, she was defrauded of Rs 55 lakhs.

On the receipt of the complaint a case was registered under relevant sections and investigation was taken up.  

How Accused Were Apprehended

A senior police official said that given the severity of the offence, a special team led by Inspector Ram Niwas and Inspector Sunil Kumar consisting of ASI Sanjay, HC Rajesh and HC Samay Singh was constituted under the supervision of ACP Jai Parkash. Through a detailed analysis of mobile numbers and bank accounts used by the suspects, investigators identified the proprietors of a fake company.

With the aid of mobile and technical surveillance, the police traced and arrested three accused Prabhat Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, and Arjun Singh in Burari. Prabhat and Rajesh were found to be the proprietors of the company, which was used to funnel the defrauded funds. Passbooks, cheque books, company banners, and other documents were seized.

Arjun Singh had facilitated the opening of fraudulent bank accounts for the operation. During investigation all the bank accounts wherein cheated amount was transferred. Out of the total cheated amount, Rs 20 lakh was frozen in a bank account and an order to release the said amount to the victim has been obtained from court.

Modus operandi

During the interrogation, the accused revealed that the syndicate impersonated officials from the police, CBI, customs, and other government bodies. They would inform victims that parcels containing prohibited items had been intercepted, with their names listed as the sender. Initially, they threatened the victims with arrest and severe penalties, but later shifted to a more sympathetic tone, suggesting it could be a case of mistaken identity. To resolve the issue, they instructed victims to lodge a formal complaint and transfer their savings into specified accounts for "verification," falsely promising that the funds would be refunded after the verification process.

The investigation into offshore entities, additional bank accounts, and other associates involved in the fraud is ongoing.