India investigates 'digital arrest' scams involving extortion and shell companies

Authorities in India are investigating multiple 'digital arrest' scams where fraudsters use video surveillance and impersonation of law enforcement to extort large sums of money from victims.

In Bhopal, an elderly couple was allegedly held under digital arrest for 96 days by individuals posing as Delhi Police officers and a judge. The scammers falsely claimed the couple was involved in a money-laundering case, eventually coercing them into transferring ₹22 lakh after they pledged their jewellery to raise the funds.

In a separate case in Goa, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing a scam that resulted in a resident transferring over ₹2.6 crore into accounts falsely labeled as 'Secret Supervision Accounts'. The ED investigation revealed that the proceeds were routed through shell companies whose directors were individuals with limited financial means, such as employees, drivers, and tenants. Two individuals, Fahim Moin Hussain Sayed and Naim Mueen Sayyed, have been arrested in connection with the investigation.