PANAJI
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has uncovered a Rs 1.86 crore ‘digital arrest’ fraud and arrested three persons, including one from Goa.
In a nationwide operation on February 25, the agency carried out coordinated searches at several locations in Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana and Delhi. The action followed a complaint about the alleged cheating of a senior citizen from Kottayam district in Kerala.
According to the CBI, the fraud involved mule bank accounts, shell companies and SIM cards obtained using false documents. Detailed digital forensic work and tracking of financial transactions revealed a network operating across multiple states, with possible international links.
One of the accused, Blessin Jacob Abraham, was arrested from a hotel in Goa. The CBI said he played a key role in running mule accounts and helping transfer money through cryptocurrency. Several digital devices were seized from him. In Nagpur, Mohammad Mushtaque was arrested for allegedly operating mule accounts through a shell company to receive the illegal funds.
A third accused, suspected of helping procure SIM cards fraudulently, was arrested in Bengaluru. During the searches, officials seized digital devices, debit cards, bank documents and other materials, which the agency described as incriminating.
