Cyber fraudsters allegedly posed as Mumbai Police officers, invented a link to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and used fake Supreme Court documents to cheat a Ratlam businessman of ₹55 lakh.
Ratlam Police have now arrested three suspects from Telangana and Karnataka in the case. Investigators have also blocked around ₹20 lakh linked to the stolen money and are tracing other people and bank accounts allegedly involved in the operation.
The victim runs a motor parts business in Kuwait and was staying in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, when the fraud began.
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One Call Turned Into an ISI Investigation Threat
On September 15, the businessman received a call from a person claiming to be a police officer posted in Mumbai’s Colaba area.
The caller allegedly told him that his mobile number had been used to contact an agent linked to Pakistan’s ISI. Other members of the group then began calling from different numbers and threatened that an FIR would be registered against him.
The allegation immediately transformed what appeared to be an ordinary phone call into a supposed national security investigation.
Police said the fraudsters continued escalating the pressure. On September 16, they allegedly arranged a WhatsApp video call in which people dressed in police uniforms appeared before the victim.
They also sent documents that appeared to carry the letterhead of the Supreme Court of India.
The uniforms, official-looking documents and repeated calls from people claiming to be senior officers were allegedly used together to convince the businessman that the threat was genuine.
₹55 Lakh Sent for So-Called ‘Verification’
The callers then told the businessman that his money needed to be checked as part of the investigation.
He was allegedly instructed to transfer funds to bank accounts provided by them, with an assurance that the money would be returned once the verification was completed.
Under pressure, the businessman transferred around ₹55 lakh through RTGS transactions, according to police.
A complaint was later registered at Ratlam’s Manakchowk police station. A joint team from the police station and the Cyber Cell began tracing the transactions and the accounts through which the money had moved.
Investigators found that ₹35 lakh had allegedly been deposited into an Axis Bank account linked to a company identified as SRI VENKATESHWARA PRI LIMITED.
Police also traced another transaction of ₹5,00,084 while following the subsequent movement of the money.
Three Suspects Traced Across Two States
The investigation eventually led police outside Madhya Pradesh.
Police arrested Kodari Venkatesh and Mir Yusuf from Telangana and Ashok Annyaya from Karnataka. The suspects were identified using technical evidence and financial records connected to the transactions, according to reports citing police.
Ratlam Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said transactions involving around ₹20 lakh of the defrauded amount had been blocked in the receiving bank accounts.
Investigators are now examining the suspects’ accounts and following the money trail to determine who else may have participated in the alleged network.
The case remains under investigation.
Ratlam Has Seen Similar Digital Arrest Networks Before
The case comes as Ratlam Police continue dealing with organised digital arrest fraud involving interstate money trails.
In another major case reported earlier this year, investigators traced a ₹1.34 crore digital arrest fraud against a retired professor and his wife to a network of mule bank accounts spread across several states. Police said the digital trail in that investigation indicated a possible link to cybercrime operators based in Cambodia.
That investigation showed how stolen money can move through multiple accounts opened in the names of individuals, businesses or entities before being transferred again.
The latest ₹55 lakh case is separate. But the use of multiple bank accounts, impersonation of law-enforcement officers and threats involving serious criminal allegations follows a pattern increasingly seen in digital arrest scams.
Fear of Terror Links Becomes the Weapon
The Ratlam case also shows how scammers are moving beyond routine claims of money laundering or illegal SIM cards.
Here, the alleged ISI connection added a national security angle. For a victim suddenly told that his phone number was connected to a Pakistani intelligence operative, the threat of immediate arrest or investigation could make demands from supposed police officers appear far more urgent.
The appearance of people in police uniforms during video calls and the use of purported Supreme Court documents added another layer of credibility.
But no police officer, court or investigating agency requires a person to transfer money to a bank account to “verify” whether their funds are legitimate.
What This Means for You
A call accusing you of terrorism, money laundering, drug trafficking or links with an intelligence agency does not become genuine because the caller knows your personal details, wears a police uniform on video or sends an official-looking court document.
Never transfer money for “verification” or to prove your innocence. Disconnect the call, independently contact the concerned police or agency through an official number and report suspected cyber fraud immediately through the national cybercrime helpline 1930.
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