The Cyber Crime Cell of Surat has arrested Santosh Singh from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, for impersonating a Mumbai Police officer in a high-tech extortion scheme known as “digital arrest.” Singh allegedly threatened a local individual with fabricated charges in a money laundering case and extorted Rs7 lakh.
Investigators say Singh contacted the victim claiming links to the Naresh Goyal money laundering probe, falsely alleging the use of the victim’s SIM card in suspicious financial transactions. Over two days, he psychologically pressured the victim through fake legal threats and coerced them into transferring money to avoid “formal arrest.”
Acting on intelligence, cyber officials tracked and arrested Singh in Mathura. He later admitted to renting out his bank account to a cyber fraud network, through which over Rs4 lakh of illicit funds were routed.
Authorities have identified two additional suspects—Naimesh Chaudhary and Pushpendra Bhola—who remain at large. Investigations show that the gang used multiple accounts to launder extorted money.
The case sheds light on the growing trend of “digital arrest” frauds, where scammers pose as officials from police, CBI, or RBI, using video calls and psychological pressure to extort victims.
