Gujarat couple digitally arrested for five days defrauded of Rs 13 lakh; accused held from Delhi

Surat: The Surat Cyber Crime Branch has arrested a 35-year-old man from Delhi for allegedly helping a cyber fraud network that digitally arrested a man and his wife for five days and made them transfer Rs 13 lakh on the pretext of verifying their bank accounts, police said on Friday.

The arrested accused has been identified as Afaq Alam Ansari, an equipment supplier residing in Malad West, Mumbai, and originally from Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh. Police said he was traced to Delhi following a technical investigation.

According to the police, the accused involved in the case contacted the complainant through phone and video calls and claimed that a SIM card had been obtained in his name and that a Canara Bank account had also been opened using his details.

They allegedly told him that large financial transactions had been carried out through the account.

The accused allegedly sent the complainant a fake identity card bearing the logos of Mumbai Police and Maharashtra Police, along with purported letters from the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Financial and Crime Branch, Mumbai Department, the Reserve Bank of India and the Supreme Court of India.

They allegedly told the complainant that the Canara Bank account in his name had been used in a money laundering and fraud case involving Naresh Goyal and that his own involvement in the case had also emerged.

The accused further threatened that an arrest warrant had been issued and that he would be arrested if he failed to cooperate with the investigation. The complainant and his wife were allegedly kept under digital arrest for five days.

The accused then told them that the money in their bank accounts had to be transferred for verification. Acting on their instructions, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 13 lakh to different bank accounts.

A case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 308(7), 204, 205, 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008.

Police said Alam had formed a firm in his own name, showing a Delhi address, and opened a current account with Yes Bank in the firm’s name.

He allegedly handed over the bank account to an absconding accused in exchange for a commission of Rs three lakh. Investigators found that transactions totalling Rs 1,05,37,721 had taken place in Alam’s current bank account between December 6, 2025 and January 21, 2026.

A check of the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) also revealed three complaints from different states linked to the account, involving alleged fraud of Rs 2,43,03,521.

The police appealed to people not to share personal or banking information with individuals claiming to be police or government officials through video or audio calls.

Police said officials do not digitally arrest or interrogate people by asking them to download Skype or other video-conferencing applications, nor do they demand money as a fine.

Police also advised people not to transfer money to accounts provided by persons impersonating police officers or other officials, even if they show arrest warrants or other documents online.

IANS