In a successful operation, the Cyber Police Station of New Delhi’s North District uncovered a major cyber racket and arrested three individuals involved in extorting Rs 8.1 lakh from a woman. The accused impersonated officials from the Telecom Department, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Enforcement Directorate (ED), threatening the victim and her family with fake criminal cases.
According to Deputy Commissioner Raja Banthia, the crime took place over a period of 48 hours. The accused held the victim, along with her daughter and father, virtually hostage. They coerced her into paying the sum in exchange for removing her name from fraudulent cases they fabricated against her.
The woman reported that on March 24, she received a call from an unknown number claiming to be from the Telecom Department, accusing her of involvement in a fake SIM card scam. Later, she received video calls from WhatsApp numbers where the callers identified themselves as officials from the CBI and ED. They falsely threatened her with arrest in connection with a money laundering case, showing her forged documents with Supreme Court stamps as proof.
The fraudsters continued their threats by sending these fabricated documents to the victim between March 5 and March 7, trapping her family in what was essentially a “digital arrest.” Fearing for their safety, the victim complied and made payments to the fraudsters.
Upon investigation, the Cyber Police traced the phone calls to locations in East of Kailash, Zamrudpur, and Greater Kailash. Following the investigation, the police raided these areas and arrested three individuals—Raja Mandal (27), an account holder; Tushar Thapa (23); and Saurabh Tiwari (23), both of whom acted as account providers/agents. The authorities also seized four mobile phones.
Deputy Commissioner Banthia added that this case was part of a larger, well-organized scam, and that extensive technical surveillance and intelligence had been used to track the culprits.
In an additional raid on March 3, another suspect, Anup Kumar Tiwari (23), was arrested in Chanakyapuri and R K Puram, where police confiscated another mobile phone. He revealed that he had also received around Rs 18 lakh into his account from similar fraudulent activities. Authorities stated that Tiwari had been directed to open bank accounts in others’ names, receiving a commission for his services.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are working to apprehend the remaining co-conspirators involved in the scam.
