India’s first ‘digital arrest’ fraud conviction: Bengal court finds 9 guilty in Rs 1 cr scam

Nine members of a criminal gang have been convicted in a “digital arrest” fraud case by a sub-divisional court in West Bengal’s Kalyani, making it the first such conviction in India.

The Kalyani sub-divisional court has found all nine members, four from Maharashtra, three from Haryana and two from Gujarat, guilty of duping a retired agricultural scientist of nearly Rs 1 crore. The gang members have been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.

Additional SP (Headquarters) of Ranaghat Police District, Siddharth Dhapola, stated that the cyber fraud investigation stems from a 2024 complaint filed by a victim who alleged he was cheated out of Rs 1 crore through a “digital arrest” scam.

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The arrests were made after an official complaint was filed, following which the police launched a month-long investigation. Cyber crime units from Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan apprehended 13 people, including a woman, last year.

“The accused were arrested from multiple states. The in-custody trial (none was granted bail) of the accused began on February 24. This is nothing short of economic terrorism as the money flowed out of the country,” Dhapola said.

The victim and the complainant, Partha Kumar Mukhopadhyay, reported receiving a call on October 19, 2024, from an individual identifying himself as SI Hemraj Koli of Andheri Police Station, Mumbai. Using a WhatsApp number, the caller threatened him with a “digital arrest” and coerced him into transferring Rs 1 crore to multiple bank accounts. These accounts were later found to be flagged by the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal for being used in scams that have duped more than 108 victims.

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“The calls were made from Cambodia but the WhatsApp number was linked to a SIM from a private company in India. Priam facie, it appeared fraudsters in Cambodia were committing crimes in India but their fluency in Bengali and Hindi was the first red flag,” an official told Times of India.