Three Arrested in Pune for ₹2.13 Crore “Digital Arrest” Scam Targeting Retired CAG Official
Three Arrested in Pune for ₹2.13 Crore “Digital Arrest” Scam Targeting Retired CAG Official
Police in Faridabad have taken three men into custody after uncovering a sophisticated “digital arrest” fraud that siphoned off ₹2.13 crore from a retired senior official of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) living in Faridabad. The accused were nabbed in Pune earlier this week and are now being questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.
The trio identified by law enforcement are Pankaj Suhas Kante from Panchsheel Nagar, Saurav Dev Kulle of Prakash Nagar in Ambarnath East, and Ajay Damodar Bhagat from Yavatmal. They were detained on Sunday in Pune and transported to Faridabad after being produced before a magistrate on Wednesday. While Kulle and Bhagat were sent to judicial custody, Kante was placed under police custody for five days to assist with further inquiries.
During searches of their hideout, investigators seized an extensive array of equipment allegedly used to perpetrate the fraud. Among the recovered items were 227 active SIM cards, 56 newly issued SIMs, four SIM boxes, a Redmi smartphone configured for foreign use, several routers, and devices designed to convert Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls from overseas into local GSM calls. Officials say this setup enabled the suspects to reach victims all over India.
Faridabad police allege that Kante was overseeing the entire operation on behalf of a cybercrime network believed to be based in Cambodia. Bhagat reportedly handled the bulk acquisition of SIM cards across different states, while Kulle’s role was to maintain the technical systems, swapping out SIMs that were blocked after complaints were raised.
Investigators also revealed that Kante maintained contact with an accomplice named Jai, based in Delhi, and was receiving direct instructions from another handler located abroad through Telegram.
The central victim in the case has been identified as Indra Kumar, a retired CAG official residing in Sector 64C, Faridabad. According to police accounts, Kumar’s wife first received a call from someone posing as a telecom department employee, who falsely claimed her Aadhaar and mobile number were linked to a bank account under a money‑laundering probe.
From there, the fraudsters escalated the deception. They impersonated officials from both the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Enforcement Directorate, even engaging the couple in video calls to substantiate their fraudulent claims that Kumar was under digital arrest. To reinforce the illusion, they furnished fake documents including fund‑freezing notices, bogus arrest warrants, and a counterfeit Supreme Court order — all designed to pressure the couple into compliance.
Public Relations Officer Yashpal Yadav of the Faridabad Police confirmed that the suspects persuaded Kumar to transfer ₹2.13 crore into multiple mule accounts, under the pretext that the money needed to be verified. On January 30, Yadav said, “the suspects claimed Kumar had been cleared of all charges and sent a fabricated no‑objection certificate along with other forged paperwork.”
When Kumar attempted to reach the fraudsters afterward to retrieve his money, he realised something was amiss. He promptly filed a case at the Cybercrime Police Station in Ballabgarh, charging unknown individuals with cheating, forgery, and impersonation.
Police teams moved quickly, coordinating with banking authorities to freeze ₹1.25 crore across several accounts, even after significant funds had already been transferred. The investigation into this elaborate scam continues, as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the network and bring all responsible parties to justice.
