CBI Launches Nationwide Operation Chakra-VI Against Digital Arrest Syndicates, Arrests Three

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched a comprehensive nationwide crackdown on organized cybercrime syndicates under 'Operation Chakra-VI', conducting simultaneous searches at 89 locations across 20 states. The operation focused on dismantling illicit networks that extort large sums of money from citizens through 'digital arrest' scams, where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement and government officials over video calls to intimidate victims into making heavy money transfers. During the crackdown, investigators arrested three key operatives in Haryana and Kolkata for their direct involvement in receiving, laundering, and transferring defrauded proceeds. The probe revealed high-profile cases involving substantial financial losses, including an incident at BITS Pilani where a victim was held under coercive digital detention for three months and defrauded of ₹7.67 crore. Similar cases in Gujarat and Karnataka saw victims extorted of ₹19.24 crore and ₹15.45 crore respectively. The agency seized extensive digital devices, banking ledgers, and financial records, which are undergoing forensic analysis to map out the cross-border and inter-state banking channels used by these syndicates.