West Bengal Court Gives Life Sentence to 9 in ₹100 Crore ‘Digital Arrest’ Cyber Fraud Case

In a landmark judgment, a West Bengal court has sentenced nine people to life imprisonment for their role in a massive ‘digital arrest’ scam, one of the first convictions of its kind in India. This high-profile cybercrime case involved a 70-year-old victim who was digitally arrested and manipulated into transferring ₹1 crore over seven days.

The scam came to light after the victim filed a complaint on November 6, 2024, at Kalyani Ranaghat Police Station. The fraud began with a WhatsApp call from a scammer posing as a police officer named SI Hemraj Koli from Andheri Police Station, Mumbai. The caller falsely accused the victim of a crime and threatened legal action unless large sums were deposited into various bank accounts.

According to the West Bengal Cyber Crime Police, the gang behind this fraud had defrauded at least 108 people across India, siphoning over ₹100 crore using similar digital arrest tactics.

Thirteen people were arrested in connection with this case during raids led by the CID Cyber Crime Cell. The convicts came from different states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Haryana. Police also recovered several bank passbooks, ATM cards, SIM cards, and mobile phones during the operation.

Investigations revealed that scam calls were being rerouted through Cambodia, although their origin was traced back to India. Authorities submitted a 2,600-page chargesheet, and the trial concluded in just five months.

All nine individuals have been convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act, including Sections 66C and 66D, which pertain to identity theft and cheating by personation using computer resources.

In another similar case, the same gang targeted a senior citizen in Bhadreswar, who lost ₹41 lakhs while trying to save his cancer-stricken wife.