Threats, 2 lakh calls, and SIM boxes: Ten people are arrested after Chandigarh Police uncover a digital arrest “scam.”

Chandigarh Police have arrested 10 people in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh for a sophisticated digital arrest scam operated by a transnational cybercrime syndicate based in Cambodia and Southeast Asian countries. The suspects were arrested after lodging a First Information Report (FIR) registered on July 21 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Rs 36.98 lakh has been frozen across various bank accounts linked to the suspects. Details of the accused and the equipment they seized have been shared with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to determine their possible links with other cybercrime cases across India.

The alleged scam came to light after Manjeet Behl, a senior citizen and wife of the late Brigadier Amarjit Singh Behl, lodged a complaint that she was duped of Rs 1.01 crore after being threatened on a voice call and followed by a WhatsApp video call from someone posing as a CBI officer. The fraudsters shared fake documents, including forged government notices and a fabricated bank passbook, with her. During the video call, a fake police station setup was displayed to scare her into transferring her life savings into accounts claimed to be for “safe custody.”

Investigations and interrogations revealed the alleged scam was orchestrated from Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Hong Kong. The fraudsters used devices known as SIM boxes, which can generate lakhs of IVR calls per day by converting internet-based calls into local mobile calls, bypassing telecom tracking. Victims across India were targeted by people impersonating officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), or courier companies like FedEx.