Two nabbed from Rajasthan in 'digital arrest' scam

The cybercrime police arrested two persons in a seven-month-old case of “digital arrest”.

The accused were identified as Poonam Chand (29) and Jai Prakash (21) from Phalodi, Rajasthan. They were tracked down and arrested after police raids in their native district.

During interrogation, they confessed to have sold or provided their bank accounts and related documents, including ATM cards, chequebooks and passbooks, for commission per transaction. These accounts were used to receive and divert funds from multiple cyber fraud operations.

The case began after a Chandigarh resident was duped of Rs 15 lakh by callers pretending to be from a courier company and the Narcotics Department. The victim was coerced into transferring money under the pretext of verification and clearance. A detailed investigation revealed the funds were routed through several bank accounts before being siphoned off.

The police are now analysing the accused's mobile phones, tracing financial trails and identifying other beneficiaries linked to the network.