Digital arrest: Rs 1.4cr transferred to 8 bank a/cs, then routed to 100+ mule a/cs

New Delhi: A probe into a recent two-week-long digital arrest, during which a 76-year-old woman from Alaknanda in south Delhi lost Rs 1.4 crore, has revealed that the fraudsters made her transfer the money to eight bank accounts before it was routed to more than 100 mule accounts to make tracing difficult.

Police have so far managed to freeze nearly Rs 20 lakh of the money.

The eight accounts formed the “first layer” of the laundering operation, police sources said. After the money reached these accounts, it was split into smaller sums and transferred to the mule accounts in multiple transactions. These transfers were deliberately made in small denominations, such as Rs 1,000 and similar amounts, to avoid triggering suspicion of bankers.

“Six of the bank accounts are registered in Maharashtra. Another account is in Ahmedabad,” the sources said.

Investigators suspect that several of the accounts may have been opened in the names of shell companies or fictitious firms created solely to facilitate cyber fraud and money laundering activities.

Police will approach the concerned banks seeking complete details of the accounts, KYC documents, transaction records and information related to the firms in whose names the accounts were opened. Notices will also be issued to account holders.

The woman’s ordeal began on April 20, when the scammers, posing as law enforcement officials, called her up and claimed that money from her bank accounts had been used to finance the 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.

The scamsters used three mobile numbers to target the woman. According to her relatives, the first caller, who claimed to be a senior Mumbai Police officer, knew her full name, address and that she lives alone.

The fraudsters allegedly told her that a non-bailable warrant was issued against her and insisted that a “financial cleaning” of her bank accounts was necessary to prove her innocence. Over the next two weeks, she was kept under digital arrest and forced to remain on a video call for more than 16 hours a day.

She visited multiple banks to prematurely break fixed deposits, including one worth Rs 30 lakh, and transferred the money to the eight accounts, as directed by the fraudsters. Her ordeal came to an end on May 4 after she ran out of money. She reached out to her family and police were informed on May 5.

A senior police officer said a case was registered and investigators are currently tracking the money trail to identify those involved in the fraud.