Elderly woman duped of Rs 1.68 crore in digital arrest case, three held

Three persons, including one from Bengaluru, were arrested on Wednesday in a digital arrest case in which a 68-year-old woman in Kerala's Kottayam was defrauded of Rs 1.86 crore, the CBI.

The agency launched a synchronized search targeting two critical components of the cyber-fraud ecosystem, mule bank account networks and fraudulently procured SIM cards. Searches were conducted at multiple locations in Goa, Bengaluru, Palakkad in Kerala, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Delhi.

The arrested were identified as Blessin Jacob Abraham, Mohd Mushtaque and Mohd Junaid. Abraham, who was picked up from Goa, allegedly played a key role in operating mule accounts and facilitating cryptocurrency transactions.

Mushtaque allegedly operates a shell company in Nagpur and used it to receive proceeds of crime. Junaid was arrested from Bengaluru and allegedly involved in procuring SIM cards fraudulently.

Junaid allegedly duped unsuspecting individuals by offering “5G SIM upgrades,” misusing their KYC documents to activate SIM cards that were subsequently used in cyber-fraud operations believed to originate from abroad.

During the searches, the CBI said investigators seized digital devices, debit cards, bank account documentation, and other materials. 

"Investigation is ongoing to identify additional domestic and international collaborators and to dismantle the broader cyber-fraud infrastructure. This operation represents a step in dismantling the enabling ecosystem behind 'Digital Arrest' scams," it added.