Delhi Police Submit Status Report in South Delhi Hybrid Digital Arrest Scam
The Delhi Police has submitted its status report in the High Court regarding a hybrid digital arrest scam in which a 75-year-old woman in south Delhi was coerced into selling her property and pawning her jewellery. The victim approached the High Court seeking the transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation, citing the case's evolving and hybrid nature.
Appearing for the victim, counsel Kush Sharma told the court that the crime represents the first documented case in India where a physical syndicate actively operated alongside a digital arrest. The police report revealed that the syndicate functioned under a decentralised structure, deploying separate groups for victim communication, mule account recruitment, and money laundering.
According to the status report, police investigations uncovered multi-layered monetary transactions involving more than ten bank accounts tied to first- and second-layer beneficiaries. Investigators tracked a phone number linked to an IP address in Cambodia. Police have issued notices to account holders and are awaiting further details for several accounts.
The report highlighted that an individual named Nannu Singh received funds for his organisation, Savitri Bai Fule Education Welfare Society. He had met at least six individuals who promised to help raise funds but vanished after a transaction worth Rs 1 crore was executed through his account. The group reportedly bought SIM cards and stayed at various hotels during the scam.
The incident began in April when the elderly woman, who lives alone, received a call from impersonators claiming to be CBI officers. They alleged she was implicated in a money laundering case and threatened that her children abroad would be deported unless she surrendered her money and assets. After transferring more than Rs 3 lakh and pawning jewellery worth about Rs 5 lakh, she was told a property dealer would visit her.
A man named Sushant Kumar then visited her residence to collect property papers, leading to a sale agreement signed with Anil Kapoor posing as the buyer and Praveen Chadha as a witness. Sushant later claimed to police that he facilitated the deal after receiving a call from a man named Nitin, who claimed to be the victim's son, and accompanied her to the police station upon discovering the fraud. Sharma pointed out that the report leaves unanswered what happened to the money withdrawn the day after being credited to the victim's account.
Sharma also noted that the CBI did not formally submit a response despite court notices, though it indicated a standard Rs 10 crore threshold for taking up cases. The petitioner argued the case is exceptional due to its complexity. The High Court will hear the matter next on August 27.
