The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested five more accused in its ongoing Operation Chakra-VI against digital arrest crimes, taking the total number of people apprehended in three cases to eight. The latest arrests follow coordinated searches across 89 locations in 20 states as part of the agency’s nationwide crackdown on organised cybercrime networks.
What is Operation Chakra-VI targeting?
The CBI said the operation is aimed at uncovering networks behind digital arrest frauds and those facilitating such offences. The agency had earlier carried out searches on a large scale in three major cases following directions from the Supreme Court of India.
According to the CBI, the searches covered 89 locations across 20 states and were intended to identify the perpetrators as well as the wider networks supporting the crimes.
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How much did victims lose in the three cases?
One of the cases relates to BITS Pilani, where a victim was allegedly kept under digital arrest for three months and defrauded of Rs 7.67 crore by scammers impersonating police officers.
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In another case in Gujarat, a victim was similarly kept under digital arrest for three months and allegedly cheated of Rs 19.24 crore. The third case, from Karnataka, involved a victim who was digitally arrested for a month and defrauded of Rs 15.45 crore.
What did the earlier searches uncover?
The searches had earlier resulted in the arrest of three accused, identified as Akash of Haryana, who allegedly received Rs 1.95 crore of the defrauded amount in an account he had opened himself, Raja Karmakar of Kolkata, into whose firm’s account Rs 1.5 crore of the fraud proceeds was routed, and Jyoti Rani.
According to the CBI, Raja Karmakar withdrew part of the credited proceeds in cash and transferred the remaining amount onward. The agency said this established the accused’s alleged role in receiving and laundering the fraud proceeds.
Who are the five people arrested by the CBI?
Building on the earlier investigation, the CBI arrested five more accused allegedly involved in receiving, layering and dispersing the proceeds of fraud.
The agency identified them as Sanket Bastwar and Pankaj Damade, both from Itarsi, Arif alias King Bhai, Harish Purushottam Yadav alias Harry of New Delhi, and Shashank Singh alias Ravi of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
The CBI alleged that Sanket Bastwar and Pankaj Damade deceptively obtained a bank account, accepted proceeds from a digital arrest fraud into it and actively participated in dispersing the money to obscure its trail.
How were bank accounts allegedly used to move the money?
According to the CBI, Arif alias King Bhai, Harish Purushottam Yadav and Shashank Singh alias Ravi were allegedly involved in arranging a bank account that was used to receive money from the victim of a digital arrest fraud.
The agency said Arif, Harish and Shashank were also found to have installed a malicious APK file on the account holder’s mobile phone. Through this, they allegedly intercepted the bank’s SMS alerts to covertly operate the account.
Investigators are now examining what the CBI described as an elaborate organised network in which the accused allegedly formed part of a system used to move fraud proceeds.
What happens next in the investigation?
With the latest arrests, the total number of people apprehended in the three cases has risen to eight. The CBI said efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the remaining accused allegedly involved in the wider network.
Further investigation in the cases is underway. The agency said it remains committed to acting against digital arrest crimes and organised cybercrime networks and bringing those involved in such offences to justice.
About the author — Ayesha Aayat writes on cybercrime, digital safety, and emerging online threats. Her work focuses on public awareness, legal clarity, and technology-driven risks.
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