The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 24 October 2026 arrested Mumbai-based advocate Rashesh Bharatkumar Upadhyay, also known as Rashesh Shah, in connection with a ₹2.6 crore digital arrest fraud targeting a Goa couple, making him the 7th arrest in the case. A Special Court (PMLA) has remanded him to ED custody until 29 October.

How the Arrest Unfolded

Upadhyay was intercepted at the boarding gate of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, while attempting to board an early-morning connecting flight to Delhi with no return booking. According to the ED, he had deleted chats with co-accused and switched off all known mobile numbers before the attempt. The interception was made possible with the timely support of Mumbai Customs and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The Digital Arrest Fraud

The ED's investigation was triggered by an FIR registered by Goa Police. Fraudsters posing as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) placed the Goa couple under continuous video surveillance, presented a forged Supreme Court order, and coerced them into transferring approximately ₹2.6 crore into accounts falsely described as 'Secret Supervision Accounts'. Digital arrest scams — in which victims are kept under round-the-clock video call surveillance by imposters — have surged across India, making this among the most operationally sophisticated fraud variants currently being prosecuted.

The Scale of the Underlying Network

ED investigators traced the fraudulent proceeds through more than 400 mule accounts into a network of commodity, travel, and foreign-exchange companies controlled by Fahim Moin Hussain Sayed and Naim Mueen Sayyed through dummy directors. This network reportedly conducted banking transactions of nearly ₹28,000 crore and deposited approximately ₹2,900 crore in cash. Its accounts have surfaced in over 300 victim complaints and more than 160 FIRs across 20 states and union territories, with reported losses exceeding ₹400 crore.

Upadhyay's Role: Bribe Broker, Not Legal Counsel

Despite being a enrolled advocate, Upadhyay never appeared in court or filed any vakalatnama for the co-accused or their companies, according to the ED. Instead, he allegedly functioned as a bribe broker — arranging the release of frozen bank accounts by paying cash bribes to suspected officials of law enforcement agencies, routed through angadiyas (informal cash couriers). On his own admission, he reportedly arranged the unfreezing of around 100 accounts for various agents, including a single payment of over ₹60 lakh. The ED stated that he continued these activities even after the agency's searches, including in respect of accounts frozen by the ED itself. The agency was unambiguous: 'Such conduct is not legal practice, and the protection available to communications between an advocate and a client does not extend to communications made in furtherance of an illegal purpose or showing the commission of a crime or fraud.'

What Happens Next

This is the 7th arrest in the case; earlier arrests include the two alleged network controllers, Sayed and Sayyed, as well as agents who supplied banking entries and arranged the release of frozen accounts. The ED said further investigation is ongoing to identify officials who allegedly received bribes, the angadiyas, and other intermediaries, and to trace the full extent of the proceeds of crime. The case underscores the growing use of professional facilitators — including legal professionals — as insulation layers within large-scale cyber fraud operations.