The Special Task Force (STF) has exposed a large-scale cyber fraud involving a retired government officer from Nainital, who was allegedly duped of more than ₹1.02 crore under the guise of a “digital arrest.” The accused, identified as Ajay Kumar Sinha and his son Saurabh Shekhar, were arrested in Ranchi, Jharkhand, after an intensive joint operation with local police.
According to investigators, the duo posed as senior officials from telecom authorities, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and even the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They manipulated the victim by warning that his mobile number was linked to unlawful activities, including human trafficking and fake bank accounts. Over a period of ten days in March 2025, the accused coerced him into transferring money across multiple accounts while keeping him under constant watch via WhatsApp video calls.
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The Modus Operandi of ‘Digital Arrests’
Authorities revealed that the method, increasingly used by cybercriminals, relies on instilling fear and psychological pressure. Victims are made to believe that their cases are under judicial review and are instructed to follow “protocols” shared over encrypted platforms. In this case, the retired officer was compelled to remain online around the clock, submitting periodic updates as proof of compliance.
The siphoned funds were swiftly moved to multiple bank accounts, many of them opened fraudulently. Investigators found that ₹14.5 lakh was funnelled into the account of an NGO registered in Patna under the name Mahila Evam Gramin Vikas Kalyan Samiti. The NGO was reportedly being operated by the younger accused, Saurabh Shekhar, and was used as a front to launder fraudulent proceeds.
National Footprint of Cyber Crime
Police officials confirmed that the accused were not first-time offenders. Both have pending cases in Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Mumbai, including another fraud in Ranchi where a woman was allegedly duped of ₹55 lakh using similar tactics. At least seven cases of cybercrime linked to the duo have now surfaced.
Senior Superintendent of Police (STF) Navneet Singh said the arrests were made after extensive technical surveillance, including the analysis of call data records, IP addresses, registered mobile numbers, and bank transactions. Investigators also obtained data from service providers and Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, to trace the perpetrators’ digital footprint.
The accused have been remanded to judicial custody following their production before the court. Authorities believe that the scale and sophistication of such scams indicate an expanding network of organized cybercrime exploiting digital platforms across multiple states.