State vs Rafikul Alam — Digital arrest cyber fraud network case, Gujarat

A key accused in a high-profile 'digital arrest' fraud case was arrested by the Cyber Crime Police in Hyderabad. The case involves a sophisticated online fraud scheme targeting victims through impersonation.

The Supreme Court registered a suo motu case in October 2025 after a senior citizen couple from Haryana reported being defrauded of Rs 1.5 crore in a digital arrest scam. The Court issued 13-point directions to combat such scams nationwide, recognizing this as a widespread issue affecting multiple states and directing RBI, banks, and state authorities to implement urgent SOPs and cybercrime coordination mechanisms.

Surat cybercrime police arrested two accused, Rupalal Mandal (29) and Mukesh Mandal (31), from Jharkhand during a four-day operation spanning 1,800 kilometres. The accused allegedly received, withdrew, and transferred money linked to cybercrime networks.

Surat Police arrested Rohit Virendrasinh Shakya, an 18-year-old school dropout, for developing malicious APK files that were supplied to cybercriminal gangs operating from Jharkhand's Jamtara. The case involves an AI-powered cyber fraud network and losses estimated at Rs 64 crore. Shakya was arrested from a hotel in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh during the investigation.

Mohammad Umar, a 32-year-old man from West Bengal, was arrested by the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police Station for allegedly defrauding a city resident of Rs 23.2 lakh through an online investment scheme.

The CBI took over a high-profile digital arrest fraud case involving a 76-year-old widowed pensioner allegedly cheated of Rs 1.64 crore. The CBI arrested at least three accused, including Mohammad Mushtaque (described as a 'shell company operator'), in nationwide raids across multiple states.