Major Cyber Crime Bust: Six Digital Arrest Fraudsters Nabbed
In a significant breakthrough against organized cyber crime, the Pimpri Chinchwad Police have arrested six cyber fraudsters operating from four different states for their involvement in sophisticated digital arrest scams that duped senior citizens of crores of rupees. The coordinated operation spanned Hyderabad, Mysuru, Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai, uncovering a massive financial fraud network.
The Elaborate Digital Arrest Scam Operation
Investigators revealed that these criminals were part of a complex syndicate that orchestrated digital arrest scams by impersonating officials from various law enforcement agencies including police, CBI, Narcotics Department, RBI, and Enforcement Directorate. The fraudsters would threaten victims with fake arrests and legal actions unless they paid substantial amounts of money.
The crackdown began when the Cyber Crime police station of Pimpri Chinchwad registered two separate FIRs where senior citizens were cheated of Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.8 crore respectively. As investigation teams tracked the cell phone numbers and bank accounts used in these cases, they uncovered leads about suspects who operated as both mule account holders and handlers.
Nationwide Fraud Network Uncovered
Police teams dispatched to Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala and Mumbai over three weeks arrested the six accused in a coordinated operation. The details were officially shared with media on Wednesday, with all suspects currently in police custody.
The arrested individuals have been identified as: Mohammed Amer Akil Mohammed Arif (35), a Hyderabad-based real estate dealer; Jigar Jitesh Patel (23), who works at a Chartered Accountant's office in Mumbai; Ajith Vijayan (36), who runs a travel agency in Thiruvananthapuram; Sachin P Prakash (26), a security guard from Karnataka; Mohammed Rihan Mohammed Tajmul (18), a BSc student from Mysore; and Sayyed Owaiz Afnan Sayyed Shaukat (20), a fruit seller from Mysuru.
Investigations have exposed that bank accounts registered in the names of these suspects and accounts managed by them as mule handlers have seen fraudulent transactions worth over Rs 100 crore. These accounts have been flagged in at least 35 cyber fraud cases registered across India, including major cities like Mumbai, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala.
Connection to India's Largest Digital Arrest Scam
Most significantly, the accounts operated and managed by Mohammed Amer Akil Mohammed Arif have been directly linked to the Rs 58 crore digital arrest scam registered in Mumbai, which stands as the largest fraud of this type ever recorded in the country. This revelation highlights the extensive reach and sophisticated operations of these cyber criminal networks.
Officials have expressed serious concern that despite extensive awareness campaigns and sensitization efforts by both government and law enforcement agencies, incidents of digital arrest, online extortion and blackmail continue to be reported across the nation. The severity of these scams has reached the highest levels of government, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself addressing the issue during his 'Mann Ki Baat' address last year.
As previously reported, these sophisticated scams are orchestrated by complex, multilayered syndicates operating across international borders, with their lowest layers of mule accounts and account handlers operating from within India. The modus operandi typically involves funneling victims' money into mule accounts before routing the funds to international cybercrime networks through cryptocurrency channels, making recovery extremely challenging for authorities.
