Key Points
CBI's Operation Chakra-VI led to searches at 89 locations across 20 states, targeting the network behind three digital arrest scams totaling Rs 42.36 crore.
Victims in Gujarat and Rajasthan were reportedly kept under digital arrest for over three months each, while a Karnataka victim was held for nearly a month.
CBI arrested Akash, Raja, and Jyoti for allegedly receiving, layering, and dispersing scam funds through specially created and company bank accounts.
THE CENTRAL INVESTIGATION BUREAU (CBI) has stepped up its action against cybercrime networks accused of undertaking “digital arrest” scams and cheating people out of crores of rupees. As part of the nationwide operation against cybercrime, codenamed “Operation Chakra-VI,” the agency carried out searches at 89 locations across 20 states. Three accused have been arrested for allegedly collecting, transferring, and distributing the money obtained through the fraud.
Operation Chakra-VI was initially launched on June 25, 2026, and saw a major escalation in action on Friday, September 4, 2026.
The coordinated searches were aimed at tracing the proceeds of fraud and identifying the beneficiaries and handlers behind the syndicates. The operations were meticulously planned on the basis of detailed financial and technical analysis, including examination of bank accounts and online account access data.Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) Statement
The searches and arrests were conducted as part of investigations into three cybercrime cases involving an alleged total fraud of ₹42.36 crore. One case was registered in Gujarat, while the other two originated in Rajasthan's Pilani town and Karnataka.
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Agency officials said that these cases are among several “digital arrest” fraud investigations that the CBI has taken over from police agencies across the country. “The searches led to the seizure of incriminating banking documents, account-related records, digital devices, and other crucial evidence, which are now being forensically examined to uncover the wider financial and technological infrastructure that aided the digital arrest syndicates operating across state boundaries,” the agency said.
In the Gujarat case, a victim was allegedly cheated of ₹19.24 crore after being placed under ‘digital arrest’ for over three months. Fraudsters posed as police officers investigating a crime, pressurized the victim into transferring the money.
In the Rajasthan case, a person linked to BITS Pilani — a well-known private deemed university — was allegedly swindled out of ₹7.67 crore. The victim was reportedly kept under ‘digital arrest’ for three months by individuals who impersonated police officers.
In the Karnataka case, the victim was allegedly cheated of ₹15.45 crore after being kept under ‘digital arrest’ for nearly a month, CBI officials said.
During the investigation, CBI teams worked to track the money-trail that the digital arrest scam generated, identify those involved in the alleged network, and recover documents and other materials that could serve as evidence. Officials said the searches were carried out based upon financial and technical analysis, including checks of bank accounts and online audit trails.
Three accused have been arrested as of yet in relation to this case. A thorough examination by the investigating officials revealed the role played by these three individuals in materializing the cyber crime syndicate have. “During the search operations, the CBI arrested three accused persons, whose examination revealed their specific and material role in receiving, layering and dispersing the fraud proceeds to project them as untainted funds,” a CBI official said.
One of the arrested suspects, Akash, a Haryana resident, allegedly received ₹1.95 crore of the fraud money in his bank account. Investigators found that the account was specially created for funneling proceeds of the digital arrest fraud, and that the money was transferred to other accounts the same day.
The second accused is Raja from Kolkata, West Bengal. He was arrested for allegedly receiving ₹1.5 crore of the fraud proceeds in his company’s bank account.
The third accused, Jyoti, was arrested after investigators found that her bank account allegedly received part of the money taken from a victim. She withdrew some of the funds in cash and sent the remaining amount to other accounts, helping to spread the money and make its trail harder to trace, officials said.
The CBI is continuing its investigation to locate and arrest other members of the alleged cybercrime network.
‘Operation Chakra-VI’ is part of the CBI’s ongoing nationwide crackdown against cybercrime groups involved in ‘digital arrest’ scams. In these scams, criminals pretend to be police officers, government officials or other authorities and threaten victims with arrest or legal action over fake allegations. Victims are often kept on lengthy video or phone calls and pressured into transferring large amounts of money.
(Edited by Agniva Ray)
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