Digital arrest frauds: CBI arrests 2 cyber crooks in Gujarat, one in Kerala

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Two cyber crooks in Gujarat and one in Kerala were arrested by the CBI as part of its campaign Operation Chakra‑V against digital arrest frauds, an official said on Tuesday.

The arrests were made following the recovery of critical digital and documentary evidence establishing their active role in the conspiracy, the official said in a statement.

The accused were found to be directly involved in providing domestic facilitation support, including financial channels, to the perpetrators operating from other locations, including foreign countries, it said.

The arrests come as part of CBI’s continued efforts to dismantle transnational cyber‑enabled networks involved in large‑scale financial fraud targeting Indian citizens.

The arrested individuals were produced before the competent local courts in Kerala and Gujarat. After obtaining transit warrants, they were brought to Delhi and produced before the Special CBI Court, said the official statement.

The arrests follow the extensive nationwide searches conducted by CBI at around 40 locations across Delhi‑NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, and West Bengal last week, it said.

The searches had led to the seizure of critical evidence, including digital devices, KYC documents, SIM cards, and communication records, which revealed the existence of an organised domestic facilitation network supporting a syndicate including foreign‑based cybercriminals, it said.

A CBI official said that the probe agency remains committed to combating cyber-enabled financial crimes through sustained intelligence-led operations, inter-agency coordination, and the use of advanced digital forensics to counter complex transnational fraud networks.

Last week, the CBI said that it actively participated in Operation HAECHI-VI launched by Interpol, targeting seven specific types of crimes, namely, cyber-enabled financial crime, voice phishing, love/romance scam, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, business email compromise and e-commerce fraud.

During Operation HAECHI-VI, the International Operations Division of CBI closely coordinated with the FBI US Department of Justice and the German authorities and arrested eight offenders and identified 45 suspects who were indulging in the transnational cyber-enabled financial crimes and subjecting the minor girls to sexual offences online.

“Cash amount of $66,340 was recovered from the offenders, and 30 bank accounts involved in the crime were blocked,” the agency said in its press note.

“The CBI, acting upon operational inputs received from the FBI, US Department of Justice, apprehended two offenders who were targeting minor US girls online through social media platforms, inducing and intimidating those minor girls to share their obscene images/videos,” the agency said.

--IANS

rch/dan