CBI charge sheets bank officer, firm owner in Rs 1.6 crore digital arrest scam

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against the owner of a Kashmir-based firm and a Deputy Manager of Axis Bank in connection with a digital arrest scam in which a Delhi senior citizen was defrauded of Rs 1.6 crore, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The accused named in the charge sheet are Umer Iqbal, proprietor of M/s Himalayan Enterprises, Pulwama, and Umer Ahmad Dar, Deputy Manager at Axis Bank.

According to the CBI, the victim was targeted by fraudsters who posed as law enforcement and judicial authorities and placed video calls to her, falsely claiming that she was under investigation.

The accused extorted Rs 1.6 crore from the senior citizen through the so-called “digital arrest” scheme.

The case was transferred to the CBI by the Supreme Court from the Delhi Police and was registered by the agency in January 2026.

During the investigation, the CBI arrested the proprietor of the private firm whose current account was used to receive the proceeds of the cyber fraud.

The probe further revealed that a portion of the defrauded amount was paid to the Axis Bank Deputy Manager for facilitating the siphoning of funds, the agency said.

According to investigators, the scam was orchestrated by a transnational organised criminal network operating from South-East Asia.

The charge sheet has been filed under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal conspiracy, receiving stolen property, cheating and use of forged documents.

The accused have also been booked under provisions of the Information Technology Act relating to cheating and impersonation through computer resources, as well as under the Prevention of Corruption Act for bribery-related offences.

The CBI reiterated its commitment to taking stringent legal action against individuals and entities that facilitate cybercrime by enabling the misuse of banking and telecom infrastructure.

The agency also urged citizens to remain vigilant against fraudulent schemes, particularly those involving so-called “digital arrest” tactics.

Emphasising that there is no legal concept of a “digital arrest”, the CBI advised people not to panic or comply with such calls.

The public has also been cautioned against fraudulent investment schemes and impersonation calls made in the name of law enforcement or regulatory agencies.

Any suspicious activity, it said, should be reported immediately to the appropriate authorities or through the national cybercrime portal.

–IANS

skp/vd