The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) executed a major nationwide operation on September 4, 2026, targeting organized cybercrime networks operating "digital arrest" scams. Under Operation Chakra-VI, the federal agency conducted coordinated searches across 89 locations spanning 20 states to dismantle financial and technological networks used to extort unsuspecting citizens.
During the extensive operation, three key operatives—Akash from Haryana, alongside Raja Karmakar and Jyoti Rani from Kolkata—were arrested for their involvement in receiving, layering, and laundering fraud proceeds. The nationwide raids followed directions from the Supreme Court of India, which urged federal authorities to take decisive action against the escalating threat of digital arrest schemes.
The investigation focuses on three major cases where victims were fraudulently detained online by criminals impersonating police officers, central law enforcement agency personnel, and government officials. Through continuous video calls, intimidation, and threats of immediate legal action, the syndicates extorted a combined total of over ₹42.36 crore. Among the cases under probe, a victim associated with BITS Pilani was held under digital arrest for three months and defrauded of ₹7.67 crore. In Gujarat, another individual lost ₹19.24 crore after a three-month digital detention, while a victim in Karnataka was extorted of ₹15.45 crore during a month-long ordeal.
CBI officials confirmed that searches yielded substantial banking documents, digital devices, and financial records. These items are currently undergoing forensic analysis to trace money trails, identify beneficiary accounts, and uncover the broader international and domestic infrastructure facilitating high-tech cyber extortion.
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