MUMBAI: A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into an inter-state cyber-fraud network, which allegedly defrauded a senior citizen from Kottayam of ₹1.86 crore in a ‘digital arrest’ case, has revealed the role of several collaborators who live abroad.
In order to strike at the roots of the crime, the CBI had initiated an examination of the crime trail through digital forensics and financial transactions that revealed the role of a complex network of fraud, spanning multiple Indian states and with international links that are currently under examination, said CBI officers. Digital forensics refers to identification, acquisition, preservation, analysis and reporting on electronic data from devices like computers, mobile phones to investigate cybercrimes, criminal and civil cases.
The CBI arrested three accused persons in the case last Wednesday, including one from Maharashtra, an alleged shell-firm operator in Nagpur. The Bureau also conducted searches on the same day at various locations in six states, including Maharashtra. “The investigation is underway to identify additional domestic and international collaborators and to dismantle the broader cyber-fraud infrastructure,” said a CBI official. “This operation represents a step forward in dismantling the enabling ecosystem behind digital arrest scams.”
The CBI’s actions on Wednesday targeted two critical components of the cyber-fraud ecosystem as seen in the case—mule bank account networks and fraudulently procured SIM cards. Searches were conducted at multiple locations in Nagpur, Goa, Bengaluru (Karnataka), Palakkad (Kerala), Hyderabad (Telangana) and Delhi. During the searches, the investigators seized several digital devices, debit cards, bank account documentation and other incriminating materials. The seized evidence is currently undergoing detailed examination to ascertain its evidentiary value in the case.
The shell firm operator arrested in Nagpur, M Mushtaque, had allegedly used the company account to receive proceeds of crime from the cyber fraud. The accused is allegedly a part of the network’s inter-state broader cyber-fraud infrastructure. The CBI team also recovered a substantial number of debit cards and digital devices from premises linked to him in Nagpur.
Apart from Mushtaque, the CBI also nabbed an alleged mule-account operator, B J Abraham, from a hotel in Goa. Abraham is accused of playing a key role in operating mule accounts and facilitating crypto-currency transactions linked to the fraud. Several digital devices, containing incriminating data, were seized from his possession by CBI officials.
The third accused, M Junaid, was arrested from Bengaluru. Junaid was allegedly involved in procuring SIM cards in a fraudulent manner and cheated unsuspecting individuals by offering ‘5G SIM upgrades’ to them. He would then procure their KYC documents to activate SIM cards that were subsequently used in cyber-fraud operations orchestrated from abroad.
“The CBI remains committed to aggressively pursuing organised cyber-criminal networks and safeguarding public trust in digital systems,” said the official.