Mumbai: ED Arrests Advocate From Airport In ₹28,000 Crore Cyber Fraud Investigation

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested a lawyer at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in connection with a money-laundering probe into an alleged pan-India cyber fraud and digital arrest network involving transactions worth Rs 28,000 crore.

The advocate has been identified as Rashesh Upadhyay alias Rashesh Shah, PTI reported. He was intercepted by the ED’s Panaji unit at a boarding gate while preparing to board a flight to Delhi.

Customs and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel reportedly helped the agency locate him. His arrest takes the total number of accused arrested in the case to seven.

Advocate remanded to ED custody

Following his arrest, Upadhyay was taken to Panaji and produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, which remanded him to the custody of the agency until October 29.

The case originated from an FIR registered by Goa Police on June 9, 2025, after a woman from Goa allegedly lost Rs 2.60 crore to cyber fraudsters. According to reports, she was allegedly placed under "digital arrest" between May 21 and June 2, 2025, and coerced into transferring the money to multiple mule accounts.

ED alleges role in account unfreezing

Seeking Upadhyay’s remand, the ED described him as a key link in the alleged network. The agency alleged that he helped get bank accounts linked to the network released after police complaints had led to their freezing.

The ED further alleged that Upadhyay arranged for the release of the accounts by bribing officials of the agencies concerned, with payments routed through ‘Angadiyas’ — a private network of individuals dealing in cash.

The ED also alleged that although Upadhyay was enrolled as an advocate, he had neither appeared nor filed a ‘Vakalatnama’ on behalf of any accused or their companies, according to PTI.

Network linked to Rs 28,000 crore

The money allegedly extracted from the woman in Goa was diverted into nearly 400 mule bank accounts linked to commodity, travel and foreign exchange companies operating through dummy directors. The ED claimed that the funds were subsequently withdrawn in cash and converted into foreign currency through money changers licensed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The agency said transactions worth nearly Rs 28,000 crore had been traced through the network, while around Rs 2,900 crore had been deposited in cash. Accounts linked to the network have surfaced in more than 300 victim complaints and over 160 FIRs across 20 states and Union territories.

Probe into officials and intermediaries

Investigators are working to identify officials who allegedly accepted bribes, along with the Angadiyas and other intermediaries suspected of involvement. The agency is also tracing the alleged proceeds of crime.

According to the ED, reported losses in these cases exceed Rs 400 crore.

What Is Digital Arrest?

A "digital arrest" is a kind of financial fraud that involves criminals posing as law enforcement officers, often wearing uniforms, and making video calls to victims from locations made to look like government offices.

The fraudsters usually demand money for a “compromise” and “closure of a case” against the victims.

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Published on: Sunday, October 25, 2026, 03:02 PM IST