Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has conducted extensive searches across six states, including Maharashtra and arrested three accused, including one from Nagpur, in connection with a high-value “Digital Arrest” fraud case involving approximately Rs 1.86 crore. The arrested shell company operator from Nagpur used the company account to receive proceeds of crime, agency officials said on Wednesday.
The CBI on Wednesday arrested Blessin Jacob Abraham, a mule account operator nabbed from Goa and is suspected to have played a key role in operating mule accounts and facilitating cryptocurrency transactions linked to this fraud, Mohammad Mushtaque, a shell company operator from Nagpur who used the company account to receive proceeds of crime and Mohammad Junaid was arrested from Bengaluru, who was involved in procuring SIM cards fraudulently.
According to the CBI, the case pertains to the defrauding of a senior citizen from Kottayam district, Kerala. Through meticulous digital forensics and financial trail analysis, investigators uncovered a complex network spanning multiple Indian states, with indications of international linkages. The CBI launched synchronized search and arrest operations on Wednesday targeting two critical components of the cyber-fraud ecosystem: mule bank account networks and fraudulently procured SIM cards.
Searches were conducted at multiple locations in Goa, Bengaluru (Karnataka), Palakkad (Kerala), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Hyderabad (Telangana) and Delhi. During the searches, investigators seized digital devices, debit cards, bank account documentation, and other incriminating materials. The seized evidence is currently undergoing detailed examination.
"Several digital devices containing incriminating data were seized from Abraham's possession. A substantial number of debit cards and digital devices were recovered from the premises linked to Mushtaque. Junaid was involved in procuring SIM cards fraudulently. He allegedly duped unsuspecting individuals by offering “5G SIM upgrades,” misusing their KYC documents to activate SIM cards that were subsequently used in cyber-fraud operations believed to originate from abroad. Investigation is ongoing to identify additional domestic and international collaborators and to dismantle the broader cyber-fraud infrastructure," said a CBI official.
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