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Police Link 'Digital Arrest' Rackets to Overseas Crypto Networks as Multi-State Arrests Advance

Police describe a racket that routes stolen money via cryptocurrency through mule accounts to overseas networks.

Overview

  • Six suspects were arrested in coordinated operations across Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Mumbai, with accounts tied to roughly Rs 100 crore flagged in at least 35 cases.
  • Investigators say one arrestee’s accounts are linked to Mumbai’s Rs 58 crore case, which Maharashtra Cyber has traced to networks connected to Hong Kong, China and Indonesia.
  • A 60-year-old Mumbai businessman was coerced on a continuous video call and transferred Rs 53 lakh before alerting the 1930 cyber helpline and filing an FIR with Central Region Cyber Police.
  • A 62-year-old Pune retiree lost Rs 99 lakh after receiving a forged arrest warrant carrying Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s fake signature from scammers posing as a ‘Data Protection Agency.’
  • Police detail tactics including fake TRAI and Delhi Police calls, staged online hearings, forged ED and Supreme Court documents, and orders to transfer funds to so-called government-secured accounts.