Delhi Senior Citizen Duped of Rs 1.6 Crore: CBI Files Charge Sheet in Digital Arrest Case:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against the owner of a private firm from Pulwama, Kashmir, and a Deputy Manager of Axis Bank for their alleged involvement in a digital arrest scam that duped a senior citizen of Rs 1.6 crore in Delhi.

The case concerns fraudsters who posed as law enforcement and judicial officials. They allegedly kept the victim in a fake “digital arrest” via video calls and forced her to give them large sums of money. Later, the Supreme Court transferred the investigation from Delhi Police to CBI, which registered case in January 2026.

During the investigation, the CBI arrested the owner of the private firm after finding that the firm's current account was used to receive money collected through the fraud. Investigators also found that a portion of the stolen money was allegedly paid to an Axis Bank Deputy Manager for helping the accused move and siphon off the funds.

The probe has revealed the involvement of a transnational organised cybercrime network based in Southeast Asia behind the digital arrest scam. According to the CBI, the accused have been charge sheeted under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act, and the Prevention of Corruption Act for offences including criminal conspiracy, cheating, receiving stolen property, using forged documents, cyber impersonation, and bribery.

The CBI said it remains committed to taking strict legal action against individuals and organisations that help cybercriminals by allowing the misuse of banking and telecom infrastructure.

The CBI has advised people to stay alert and not fall for frauds such as the so-called "digital arrest" scam. It clarified that there is no legal concept of a "digital arrest" and urged citizens not to panic or follow instructions given during such fake calls.

The CBI also warned people to be wary of fraudulent investment schemes and calls from fraudsters posing as police, government officials or regulatory authorities. If anyone receives such suspicious calls or notices any cyber fraud, they should immediately report it to the nearest police station or on the national cybercrime portal.