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Join NowDigital Arrest scam: Imagine being imprisoned in your own home, not by walls or bars, but by a voice on your phone. A voice that claims to be from the highest law enforcement agencies in the country, a voice that accuses you of horrific crimes, and a voice that has complete control over your digital life. This is the terrifying reality of “Digital Arrest,” a sophisticated and brutal new form of cyber fraud that the Mumbai Police have just begun to unravel.
In a massive breakthrough, police have exposed a sprawling pan-India syndicate that psychologically manipulated and extorted crores of rupees from its victims, primarily targeting vulnerable senior citizens and businessmen. After an intensive investigation, six key operatives of this gang were arrested in Gujarat, finally lifting the curtain on a scam with direct links to masterminds in China and Cambodia.
The Anatomy of a High-Tech Nightmare
The entire operation came to light after a senior citizen in Mumbai filed a gut-wrenching complaint at the R.A.K. Marg police station. He reported that he had been placed under ‘digital arrest’ through a series of audio and video calls by individuals impersonating government officials. Trapped in a web of fear and intimidation, he was coerced into transferring a staggering ₹70 lakh.
This single complaint was the thread that led police to a massive criminal web stretching to Gujarat. A dedicated team from the Mumbai Police conducted raids in Mehsana and Ahmedabad, successfully apprehending six individuals: Sureshkumar Maganlal Patel (51), Musran Iqbalbhai Kumbhar (30), Chirag Mahesh Chaudhary (29), Ankit Kumar Maheshbhai Shah (40), Vasudev alias Vivan Valjibhai Barot (27), and the alleged local kingpin, Yuvraj alias Marco alias Laxman Singh Sikarwar (34).
The Global Connection and a Labyrinth of Money
This wasn’t a local operation. Police investigations revealed that the gang was taking direct orders from masterminds operating out of China and Cambodia. The arrested kingpin, Yuvraj, was the primary point of contact, receiving instructions on bank accounts and the movement of extorted funds.
To cover their tracks, the scammers had created a sophisticated and almost untraceable money trail. The stolen money was funneled through a complex network of 138 different bank accounts. From there, it was rapidly converted into cryptocurrency and US dollars, making it nearly impossible to follow.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Ragsudha R, Yuvraj had been active in cyber fraud for the past three years, earning a 3% commission on every successful transaction. He had also ensnared local businessmen, luring them with small commissions to use their legitimate current accounts for transferring the illicit funds, thereby adding another layer of disguise to the money laundering process.
The ₹58 Crore Case: Two Months of Digital Hell
The investigation uncovered a truly horrifying detail: this same gang was behind the high-profile case where a 72-year-old businessman and his wife were held under ‘digital arrest’ for two long months and swindled out of an unbelievable ₹58 crore.
The scammers relentlessly tormented the couple, posing as officers from the CBI, ED, and NIA. To escalate the terror, they fabricated a story that the businessman’s name had appeared in the investigation of the infamous Pahalgam terror attack. This psychological manipulation left the victims feeling isolated, terrified, and with no choice but to comply.
A Pan-India Reign of Terror
Digital data recovered from the gang has revealed the sheer scale of their operation. They are believed to be involved in at least 31 similar cases across the length and breadth of India, with victims identified in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Agra, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, and West Bengal.
The police have so far seized 15 bank accounts and frozen approximately ₹10.5 lakh. The preliminary probe has also revealed the gang’s primary weapon: they would send their victims a malicious APK file. The moment this file was downloaded, the cybercriminals gained complete control over the victim’s phone. They could access personal data, photos, contacts, and banking apps, using this intimate information to create extreme psychological pressure and facilitate the extortion.
The case has now been transferred to the Maharashtra Police’s Cyber Cell for a deeper, more comprehensive investigation into this new and terrifying form of digital warfare.
