Overview
- The Karnataka State Cyber Command arrested six suspects after fraudsters posing as CBI and ED officials coerced a 74‑year‑old Bengaluru woman into transferring about ₹24 crore into 23 mule accounts, police said.
- Investigators say the ‘digital arrest’ racket used round‑the‑clock video calls, fake court documents and staged proceedings to intimidate victims and force transfers after identifying people with recent large inflows from property sales.
- Gujarat’s Cyber Centre of Excellence arrested 13 people in a probe that traced 45 bank accounts linked to 982 complaints and reported losses of roughly ₹631.86 crore, showing the crimes operate across states.
- Police across states have used the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and court orders to freeze mule accounts and recover partial sums — banks alerted officers in several cases, enabling timely intervention and some fund returns.
- Prosecutors face legal and evidentiary hurdles because courts have ruled that mere receipt of stolen funds in a bank account does not prove criminal conspiracy, complicating charges against account holders and the hunt for masterminds.