₹50 crore digital extortion case busted: Delhi Police arrest mastermind, 9 others

New Delhi: The South East District of Delhi Police has busted an international digital fraud and extortion racket, arresting 10 accused, including the alleged mastermind, in a multi-state operation spanning seven states, officials said.

The accused were apprehended through coordinated raids in Delhi, Mumbai (Maharashtra), Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Police said the suspects were part of a well-organised cyber fraud network that allegedly cheated victims of more than ₹50 crore through online scams.

According to an official statement, the case is linked to 61 complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Kerala, Delhi and Mumbai emerged as key operational hubs during the investigation.

Investigators said the syndicate operated a single, coordinated digital and financial infrastructure used to defraud unsuspecting citizens through misleading loan applications, fake job offers and online gaming platforms. The arrests followed sustained surveillance and technical analysis by cybercrime units.

The case also has links to a wider transnational cyber fraud probe being handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On December 14, the CBI filed a chargesheet against 17 accused, including four foreign nationals, along with 58 companies, in a related case.

Following the arrest of three key Indian associates in October, investigators uncovered the backbone of the fraud network, revealing the use of 111 shell companies with dummy directors, forged documents and false business declarations to launder and siphon funds.

The case was registered based on inputs received from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which flagged large-scale cheating of citizens through bogus digital platforms and employment schemes.

Prosecution has been initiated under charges including criminal conspiracy, forgery, use of forged documents, and provisions of the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019. Officials said the investigation forms part of the CBI’s ongoing nationwide crackdown on international cyber fraud networks under Operation Chakra-V.

ANI