The Uttarakhand Special Task Force has arrested a man from West Bengal’s Malda district for allegedly helping cybercriminals defraud a senior woman from Almora of Rs 1.20 crore through a “digital arrest” scam. The victim was allegedly kept connected to the fraudsters through WhatsApp calls for nearly 12 days and threatened with arrest and prosecution.
Fraudsters Claimed Aadhaar Was Linked to Rs 60 Crore Transactions
The victim lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police station in January 2026. She told police that unidentified people had contacted her through WhatsApp calls in December 2025 and posed as officials of a telecom regulatory authority.
The callers allegedly told her that her Aadhaar card was linked to a Canara Bank account involved in money laundering transactions worth nearly Rs 60 crore. They further claimed that around 5,000 people had transferred money to the account and that 5,000 FIRs containing information about her had been registered.
Proposal for Conducting Cyber Crisis Drill, Tabletop Exercise (TTEx) & CCMP Readiness Exercise
Using threats of arrest and prosecution, the fraudsters allegedly forced the woman to remain connected with them through WhatsApp calls for nearly 12 days. During this period, she was instructed not to contact her family members, friends or the police.
The fraudsters then allegedly persuaded her to transfer money to several accounts on the pretext of verifying her bank accounts. Police said she eventually transferred a total of Rs 1,20,18,000.
Technical Evidence Leads STF to Malda Suspect
Following directions from senior STF officers, cybercrime police collected details of the bank accounts, mobile numbers and WhatsApp profiles allegedly used in the offence. Investigators also obtained information from banks, telecom service providers and Meta.
Analysis of technical and digital evidence helped investigators trace one of the bank accounts and mobile numbers linked to the alleged fraud. After verifying the information, an STF team arrested Shantanu Das in Malda.
Das is a resident of Gopalpur village under the English Bazar police station area in Malda. He allegedly allowed his bank account to be used to receive and route proceeds from the cyber fraud.
STF Senior Superintendent of Police Ajai Singh said money obtained from the victim was credited to Das’s account and immediately transferred to other accounts.
Police Probe Other Accounts and Accused
Investigators are continuing to examine the financial trail and the alleged involvement of other people in the transactions.
The STF said the role of other account holders and accused persons linked to the fraudulent transactions is being investigated as authorities work to identify those involved in the wider operation.
