New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday conducted searches at 80 locations across 16 states as part of a nationwide crackdown on a network allegedly involved in digital arrest scams that targeted hundreds of victims using a website with a URL resembling that of the Supreme Court.The operation, codenamed ‘Operation Chakra-VI’, involved around 60 specialised teams carrying out coordinated searches from Punjab and Gujarat in the west to Assam and Manipur in the northeast. According to officials, the network is linked to more than 200 cases of cyber-enabled fraud.The CBI said digital arrest scams have emerged as a major form of cyber extortion in which fraudsters impersonate police personnel, investigators from central agencies or judicial officials to intimidate victims.Victims are allegedly threatened with arrest or prosecution by falsely linking them to criminal activities and are coerced into transferring money to avoid legal action.At the centre of the investigation is a website bearing a URL that closely resembled the official website of the Supreme Court.“The fraudsters allegedly used this fraudulently registered domain to deceive victims under the guise of digital arrest. Based on a complaint received from the Registry of the Supreme Court of India, the CBI registered an FIR and commenced investigation into the matter,” a CBI spokesperson said.The agency said the operation resulted in the arrest of two accused, B Naresh from Chennai and Sanjib Saha from Kolkata.According to investigators, the duo was allegedly part of a larger network, that cheated citizens through impersonation, intimidation and technological deception.The CBI alleged that the accused helped establish a financial framework designed to conceal the movement of illicit funds by creating shell companies and operating mule bank accounts.“These accounts were reportedly used for laundering approximately Rs 2 crore of suspected proceeds of crime,” the spokesperson said.Investigators also found that the fraudsters allegedly exploited public trust by creating forged documents that closely resembled official court orders, warrants and notices and uploading them on the fake website to lend legitimacy to their claims.Investigation has revealed that the perpetrators uploaded forged and fabricated documents, including fake orders resembling those issued by courts and various law enforcement agencies, to lend credibility to their fraudulent activities.The agency said it deployed advanced forensic tools and technical expertise during the investigation and identified key components of the criminal infrastructure operating within India and overseas.During the searches, investigators seized mobile phones, digital devices, banking records and other material that is being examined as part of the probe.
