Nine individuals associated with a criminal gang have been found guilty in a case involving a “digital arrest” fraud by a sub-divisional court located in Kalyani, West Bengal, marking the first conviction of its kind in India.

The Kalyani sub-divisional court has determined that all nine individuals, comprising four from Maharashtra, three from Haryana, and two from Gujarat, are guilty of defrauding a retired agricultural scientist of nearly Rs 1 crore. The gang members face charges under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.

Siddharth Dhapola, Additional SP (Headquarters) of the Ranaghat Police District, indicated that the investigation into the cyber fraud originated from a complaint lodged in 2024 by a victim who claimed to have been swindled out of Rs 1 crore through a “digital arrest” scheme.

The arrests occurred after an official complaint was submitted, prompting the police to initiate a month-long investigation. Cyber crime units from Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan apprehended 13 individuals, including one woman, last year.

“The suspects were arrested across several states. The trial for those in custody (none were granted bail) commenced on February 24. This situation can be described as economic terrorism, as the funds were transferred out of the country,” Dhapola remarked.

The victim and complainant, Partha Kumar Mukhopadhyay, reported receiving a call on October 19, 2024, from someone claiming to be SI Hemraj Koli of the Andheri Police Station in Mumbai. The caller, using a WhatsApp number, threatened him with a “digital arrest” and pressured him into transferring Rs 1 crore to various bank accounts. These accounts were subsequently identified as flagged by the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal for their involvement in scams that have defrauded over 108 victims.

“The calls originated from Cambodia; however, the WhatsApp number was associated with a SIM card from a private firm in India. At first glance, it seemed that fraudsters in Cambodia were perpetrating crimes in India, but their proficiency in Bengali and Hindi raised the initial alarm,” an official informed.