Rahul Verma, Shantanu Richoriya (26), and Arjun Singh (25) — were arrested in Delhi for allegedly extorting Rs25 lakh from a resident through a cyber scam known as “digital arrest,” police said Monday.
The arrests took place at a hotel in the Paharganj area, where the fraudsters had been operating. Authorities revealed that the gang used hotel rooms as bases and relied on “mules” — individuals whose bank accounts were used to route stolen money — who were brought in physically to complete transactions.
The case began when Mahender Jain reported receiving a video call from a man pretending to be a crime branch officer from Nashik police. The caller claimed Jain’s Aadhaar card had been used to open fraudulent bank accounts linked to money laundering.
“Jain was shown a forged bank card and coerced into transferring Rs25 lakh — including money from selling his wife’s jewellery — through RTGS and an online payment gateway,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary.
Fearing arrest, Jain complied. A case was registered, and during the investigation, police discovered that Rahul Verma initially provided his bank account but later actively participated in the scam.
Police say the trio managed the movement of funds via mule accounts, coordinated with international handlers on social media, and used fake identities and numbers to avoid detection. They also operated secret online groups.
Officials recovered three mobile phones, four SIM cards, three cheque books, and four bank passbooks from seven different banks. Police have identified at least 7-8 mule accounts linked to the case.
Authorities are continuing efforts to trace additional members of the syndicate.
“Digital arrest” scams typically involve impersonators posing as law enforcement officers, threatening victims with false criminal charges tied to fabricated claims — such as international parcel fraud — to extort money.
