CBI cracks down on digital arrest scam, chargesheet filed against 13 accused

The CBI has filed a chargesheet against 13 accused in a major digital arrest cyber fraud case under Operation Chakra-V. Investigations revealed cross-border links, slave compounds in Myanmar, and coerced Indian nationals running scam call centres

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against 13 accused persons in a major “digital arrest” cyber fraud case, as part of its focused, case-by-case crackdown under Operation Chakra-V – V against organised transnational cybercrimes, the agency said on Thursday.

The case was registered suo motu by the CBI to comprehensively investigate ten significant incidents of Digital Arrest scams reported across the country, amid a steep rise in such offences.

---

In October 2025, the CBI conducted coordinated searches across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, and West Bengal. “These searches led to the recovery of incriminating material, including electronic devices, communication logs, financial records, and other digital evidence,” the CBI said in its press note.

On the basis of evidence recovered, three accused persons were arrested, all of whom are currently in judicial custody. The central agency stressed that during the investigation, it analysed over 15,000 IP addresses associated with the scam networks.

“The technical analysis revealed extensive cross-border connections, showing that several key bank accounts used for collecting and routing victim funds were being controlled by masterminds based in Cambodia, Hong Kong, and China,” it said.

From the vast technical dataset, India-based IP addresses were isolated, enabling targeted searches and identification of domestic operatives. “Importantly, multiple streams of evidence now indicate that slave compounds operating in Myanmar and neighbouring areas have emerged as major hubs for the execution of Digital Arrest frauds, where trafficked Indian nationals are coerced to run call-centre style cybercrime operations,” the CBI said.

“These findings align with intelligence gathered during parallel CBI investigations into cyber-slavery and organised digital exploitation networks in South-East Asia,” it added.

The investigation has further generated significant leads on the financial trail, call-flow patterns, VoIP routing, remote-access tool misuse, and the broader technology infrastructure supporting Digital Arrest scams.

This systematic, case-by-case dismantling of each operational component remains central to CBI’s evolving cybercrime enforcement strategy. Based on the evidence collected, the CBI has filed a chargesheet against 13 accused within the statutory 60-day period under provisions of the IPC and IT Act.

Further investigation is continuing to identify additional conspirators, facilitators, money-mule handlers, and the overseas infrastructure enabling these transnational cyber fraud operations.