‘Important cogs of the wheel’: Delhi HC denies bail in Rs 22-crore digital arrest scam

New Delhi: Delhi High Court dismissed the bail pleas of four alleged scamsters accused of extorting over Rs 22 crore from a 78-year-old retired banker through a “digital arrest” scam, observing that each participant in such offences plays a crucial role in an organised crime with serious societal impact.Justice Manoj Jain rejected the regular bail applications of Ashok Kumar and Mohit, and anticipatory bail pleas of Vipul Rana and Himanshu Singh, in connection with an FIR registered by the Special Cell of Delhi Police under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).The court underlined that the accused appeared to be “important cogs of the conspirational wheel” and that their roles could not be trivialised at this stage of the investigation.

Rejecting the argument that some of the accused were merely account holders or minor participants, the court said, “The wheel would not have moved without their involvement.”Justice Jain also flagged the growing menace of digital arrest scams, particularly targeting vulnerable senior citizens. “Such incidents, where undue advantage is taken of the susceptible nature of senior citizens, who are coerced and duped through digital arrest, are on the rise,” the court observed, describing such offences as organised crime with a massive societal impact.

The high court noted that digital evidence in such cases is fragile and susceptible to manipulation, and that granting pre-arrest bail could seriously hamper the investigation. It held that custodial interrogation of Vipul Rana and Himanshu Singh appeared “indispensable” at this stage.The court further pointed out that the investigation is still underway and the cheated amount has not been recovered. “Any compassion to the applicants, at this stage, may hamper the ongoing investigation,” the order said, while dismissing all four applications.The case relates to a sophisticated cyber fraud in which a man in his late 70s was subjected to a so-called digital arrest by fraudsters impersonating telecom officials, police personnel and investigating officers. The victim was allegedly coerced into transferring Rs 22.9 crore across multiple bank accounts over a period of about one month.Police informed the court that Rs 1.9 crore was routed through an IndusInd Bank account linked to a company in which accused Mohit was a director. The amount was withdrawn on the same day, forming part of a larger conspiracy involving multiple accused and the use of “mule accounts”.