'Digital Arrest' Scam: Step-by-Step, How an NRI Couple Was Trapped and Duped of Rs 14 Crore

Delhi Police arrested eight people from three states for allegedly cheating an elderly non-resident Indian couple of over Rs 14 crore through a so-called “digital arrest” scam.Those arrested include a priest

and several professionals who police say were part of a cyber fraud network that impersonated law enforcement agencies and moved stolen money through multiple bank accounts. Investigators said the racket had links to operators based in Cambodia and Nepal.The suspects were arrested in coordinated raids across the states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, Delhi Police said.

Those held include Divyang Patel, 30, and Krutik Shitole, 26, from Vadodara in Gujarat; Mahavir Sharma, 27, from Bhubaneswar in Odisha; Ankit Mishra from Gujarat; Arun Kumar Tiwari, 45, and Pradyuman Tiwari, 44, from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh; and Bhupender Kumar Mishra, 37, and Aadesh Kumar Singh, 36, from Lucknow.Patel and Shitole were arrested on Jan. 15. Patel, a commerce graduate, runs an NGO and provides financial services, while Shitole holds a diploma in information technology from New Zealand, police said.

Arun Kumar Tiwari was arrested on January 16. He works as a private data-entry operator near the Income Tax Office in Varanasi and also runs an NGO, police said. Sharma was arrested on Jan. 19, while Pradyuman Tiwari, arrested the next day, works as a priest and performs private religious rituals at the Varanasi riverfront.Ankit Mishra, arrested on January 21, previously worked as a sales executive with a financial services firm, police said. Bhupender Mishra, who holds an MBA degree, and Aadesh Singh, a former private tutor, were also arrested that day.The case surfaced after a 77-year-old woman living in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash area reported that she and her husband had been cheated of more than 148 million rupees.Police said the woman received a call in December claiming a SIM card issued in her name was linked to a money-laundering case. The callers then placed her on video calls, posing as police and federal investigators, showed her a forged arrest warrant and staged fake court proceedings.

The couple were allegedly kept under constant video surveillance and warned not to contact anyone. Under pressure, they were persuaded to transfer money from fixed deposits and investments into what the scammers described as “RBI-mandated accounts” for verification, police said.An electronic police complaint was registered on Jan. 10, and a special investigation team traced the money trail through bank records and technical surveillance. Investigators said the accused helped arrange and operate so-called mule accounts to move the funds on behalf of the international syndicate.Police seized seven mobile phones and several checkbooks during the operation. Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining money and identify other suspects, officials said.