CBI Arrests Two More in Rs 11.42-Crore Gujarat ‘Digital Arrest’ Case; Searches at 22 Locations Across 10 States
New Delhi, September 27: ANB :The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two more accused persons in connection with a major ‘digital arrest’ cybercrime case involving the alleged defrauding of a Gujarat-based victim of Rs 11.42 crore.
The arrests were made as part of Operation Chakra-VI, under which the CBI conducted coordinated searches at 22 locations across 10 states as part of its ongoing crackdown on organised cybercrime networks.
According to the CBI, the victim was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for nearly three months by cybercriminals impersonating police officers and officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The victim was allegedly coerced into transferring Rs 11.42 crore into bank accounts controlled by the syndicate.
The searches, carried out on the basis of financial and technical analysis of the money trail, resulted in the seizure of banking documents, account-related records, digital devices and other material evidence. The seized material is being examined to trace the wider financial and technological network allegedly supporting the operation.
The CBI identified the two arrested accused as Himanshu Prasad and Unis Biswas. The agency said its investigation had revealed their alleged roles in receiving, layering and dispersing the proceeds of crime.
According to the investigation, the accused allegedly used the bank account of M/s Hexaquest Global Pvt. Ltd. to receive around Rs 2.5 crore out of the Rs 11.42 crore allegedly defrauded from the victim. The funds were subsequently transferred to multiple accounts allegedly controlled by their associates to obscure the money trail.
The CBI further stated that the two accused were allegedly involved in the use of bank accounts and the installation of APK files to siphon off proceeds generated through digital-arrest frauds and other cybercrimes. Investigators have recovered incriminating chats, messages and documents from digital devices seized during the searches.
The agency said efforts were underway to identify and apprehend other members of the alleged network.
The CBI said that, in the past 30 days, it had conducted coordinated searches at 142 locations across 22 states in four digital-arrest cases and arrested 17 accused persons. The agency said the operations were aimed at tracing the proceeds of crime, identifying beneficiaries and handlers, and securing evidence.
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