For The First Time, 9 Convicted In Digital Arrest Case By West Bengal Court

Last Updated:July 17, 2025, 22:22 IST

The convicts – four from Maharashtra, three from Haryana and two from Gujarat – were found guilty of duping a retired agricultural scientist of nearly Rs 1 crore

The police said the digital arrest racket has international links, and the kingpin is believed to be based in a Southeast Asian country. (Image for representation: Shutterstock)

Nine members of an inter-state gang were on Thursday convicted in a in a ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud case — marking the first such instance — by a sub-divisional court in West Bengal’s Kalyani.

The convicts – four from Maharashtra, three from Haryana and two from Gujarat – were found guilty of duping a retired agricultural scientist of nearly Rs 1 crore. The Kalyani court judge pronounced all the nine accused persons guilty under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The court will pronounce its sentence on Friday (July 18).

Additional SP (headquarters), Ranaghat police district, Siddharth Dhapola said the investigation into the cyber fraud case was based on a 2024 complaint by the victim, who alleged that he had been cheated of Rs 1 crore under digital arrest.

Acting on the complaint, the police launched a month-long operation and arrested the convicts from different states. Cyber crime units from Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan apprehended 13 people, including a woman, in 2024.

Dhapola said the police recovered numerous documents and devices such as mobile phones, bank passbooks, cheque books, and PAN cards during the investigation. In addition, 100 bank accounts were seized, the officer said.

The police said the racket has international links, and the kingpin is believed to be based in a Southeast Asian country.

(With PTI inputs)

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