Delhi Police bust global digital arrest racket: How the gang operated

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The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police has dismantled an international digital arrest fraud network that duped a 92-year-old retired surgeon of Rs 2.2 crore by impersonating government officials over video calls. The police have arrested two individuals and recovered the full amount, which has since been restored to the victim, PTI reported.

The sophisticated cyber fraud involved perpetrators posing as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Maharashtra Police. They falsely claimed that multiple FIRs had been lodged against the elderly victim and threatened him with immediate arrest.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Hemant Tiwari, the victim first contacted the police on March 15, three days after receiving a series of video calls from the fraudsters. During these calls, the accused used forged documents and staged a fake ‘virtual court hearing’ to convince the victim of the legitimacy of their claims.

In a state of fear and confusion, the victim liquidated all his fixed deposits and transferred the funds to three different bank accounts as directed by the fraudsters, DCP Tiwari in a statement on Thursday.

As per the PTI report, the police swiftly registered a case and deployed a dedicated team to investigate the matter. Through meticulous digital surveillance and tracking of financial footprints, investigators traced the trail to Ghaziabad, where the first accused, Amit Sharma alias Rahul (42), was apprehended. A subsequent operation led to the arrest of his associate, Hari Swargiary (27), from Guwahati, Assam.

Sharma, a Class 10 dropout and resident of Delhi’s Anand Vihar and Swargiary, a B.Sc graduate from Udalguri in Assam, allegedly played key roles in managing fake bank accounts used to launder the stolen money to overseas networks.

The police have seized three mobile phones, several SIM cards and other incriminating digital evidence linked to the operation. Officials believe the accused were part of a wider international syndicate and are continuing efforts to identify and arrest the remaining members, including possible foreign operatives.

Investigators revealed that the group’s modus operandi involved threatening targets with arrest over fabricated charges, followed by reassurance that it could be a case of mistaken identity. Victims were then coerced into transferring their funds under the pretext of safeguarding them until their name was cleared through a so-called verification process.

The case has brought to light the alarming rise of ‘digital arrest’ scams, where cybercriminals leverage deepfake-like tactics, video calls and legal jargon to instil panic and manipulate vulnerable individuals.