The Delhi Police arrested three people on Thursday following the ‘digital arrest’ of a 71-year-old woman that led to a loss of Rs 49 lakh. The case came to light as Cyber Cell officials led coordinated raids across multiple locations in Lucknow amid an intensified crackdown on organised cyber-enabled financial crimes.
According to an IANS report, the trio had played a crucial role in the transfer and laundering of illicit funds through mule bank accounts. Officials said Arjun Saini (20), Vimlesh (19), and Mohd. Abeed alias Mubashir (20) had been operating at the behest of larger cybercrime networks. Investigators said the victim was targeted using classic Digital Arrest tactics — where fraudsters impersonate police personnel or government agencies to intimidate individuals into transferring money.
Arjun Saini reportedly opened a mule account for financial gain and handed it over to a co-accused. Vimlesh, a B.Sc. student, is accused of procuring mule accounts for the fraud network, while Mubashir supplied account kits linked to previously arrested suspects.
What is digital arrest?
The term refers to a type of cyber scam in which fraudsters impersonate officials (such as police or government representatives) to claim that the victim is under a ‘virtual’ investigation. Intimidation follows in the form of calls or video interactions — with the scammers often using fake documents such as warrants as a pressure tactic. They typically seek large sums of money or ask for banking details to be shared in order to “resolve” these nonexistent crimes.
Fraudsters allegedly manipulated the elderly woman by falsely accusing her of involvement in illegal activities — coercing her into sending Rs 49 lakh under the threat of legal action.
Six arrested amid crackdown
Officials said that they had so far arrested six people amid a continued investigation into the syndicate. Two others were bound down during the investigation. The Delhi police said the syndicate had relied on young, unemployed individuals to open multiple bank accounts used to layer stolen money.
“The accused persons were absconding and frequently changed their locations to evade arrest. They were traced and arrested through intensive technical surveillance and local intelligence,” the Delhi Police said in its press note.
Police said the arrests mark a significant step in dismantling a wider digital fraud ecosystem that increasingly relies on impersonation, psychological manipulation, and decentralised money laundering networks.
The operation was led by Inspector Subhash Chandra with a team comprising Sub Inspector Jagseer Singh, ASI Sanjay, Head Constable Mohit Malik, and HC Gaurav, under the supervision of ACP Anil Sharma.