Delhi's cyber cell busts 'digital arrest' racket; 4 arrested for extorting Rs 8 lakh from family

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police's North District Cyber police have arrested four individuals involved in a cyber extortion racket that impersonated officials from the Telecom department, CBI, and ED to extort Rs 8.10 lakh from a woman and her family in March 2024. The accused kept the victims under virtual captivity for 48 hours while demanding money to clear their names from fabricated cases.
The incident began on March 24 when the victim received a call from someone claiming to be from Delhi's Telecom Department, threatening her about using a fake SIM card. Subsequently, she received video calls via WhatsApp from individuals posing as ED and CBI officials.

"Further, she received video calls from some unknown WhatsApp numbers stating themselves to be from the ED and CBI departments. The fraudsters threatened the lady complainant regarding her involvement in some money laundering case and threatened her to be arrested," Deputy Commissioner Raja Banthia stated.
The accused sent forged CBI and ED documents with Supreme Court stamps to the victim between March 5 and March 7, subjecting her family to what officials termed a 'digital arrest'.
The investigation by North District Cyber police tracked the calls to areas including Zamrudpur, East of Kailash, and Greater Kailash. On March 31, police arrested three suspects - Raja Mandal (27), Tushar Thapa (23), and Saurabh Tiwari (23) - and seized four mobile phones.
"Preliminary investigation has revealed that the victim in this case has been duped in a very professional and systematic manner. A technical surveillance and manual intelligence have been developed continuously," the Deputy Commissioner said.
Another raid in Chanakyapuri and R K Puram areas on March 3 led to the arrest of Anup Kumar Tiwari (23) and the seizure of an additional mobile phone.
"He was interrogated in detail and revealed that he also obtained around 18 lacs rupees in his account. Moreover, the accused got slipped from the spot after leaving their Car, Mahindra Thar there," police officials reported.
According to Deputy Commissioner Banthia, Tiwari had opened bank accounts under others' direction and received commission for his role as an Account Holder. Police are continuing their investigation to apprehend the remaining accused persons who are currently absconding.