The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has arrested two members of an interstate cyber fraud gang behind a 'digital arrest' scam in which a senior citizen woman was cheated of ₹55,50,094 through fabricated legal threats, forged official documents, and sustained psychological intimidation. The arrests were made after the accused were traced to Haryana.

How the Scam Unfolded

The complainant was first contacted via a WhatsApp video call by individuals who falsely identified themselves as 'Ranveer Singh' from Colaba Police Station, Mumbai. They told her she was allegedly implicated in a fraud case and that a warrant had been issued against her name.

The callers then declared she had been placed under 'digital arrest' for one month and would be produced before a court. To lend credibility to their threats, the accused sent fabricated documents — including fake FIR details purportedly from the Mumbai Crime Branch, forged letters in the name of the Finance Ministry's Department of Revenue, and false references to the Supreme Court of India.

Under the pretext of verifying whether her assets were proceeds of crime, they extracted her bank details and coerced her into transferring funds and even taking a gold loan. The total amount transferred through multiple online transactions was ₹55,50,094.

Who Was Arrested

The two accused have been identified as Sonu Kumar, a resident of Gurugram, Haryana, and Pradeep Kumar, a resident of Salapur Kheda, under the Kapashera police station limits in Delhi.

According to investigators, Sonu Kumar opened a bank account in the name of M/S QUIKDY TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED with ICICI Bank and shared its credentials with his co-accused. Both allegedly met an associate identified as Wasim Khan at a hotel in Friends Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, where they coordinated transactions and facilitated fraudulent fund transfers. Officials said the duo stayed at the hotel for two days and facilitated transactions worth ₹1,73,75,030.

Investigators noted that Sonu Kumar derived personal financial benefit from the proceeds, while Pradeep Kumar was found to be in regular contact with cyber fraud operatives and played a key role in routing funds through multiple accounts.

Wider Network and Linked Complaints

Bank accounts linked to the accused were associated with seven cyber complaints registered across Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh on the coordination portal. The accounts — including those linked to M/S QUIKDY TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED — were allegedly used in a structured manner to receive and transfer proceeds of crime across state lines.

An officer from the Cyber Crime Branch said,