Bengaluru: A major cyber fraud racket involving a so-called “digital arrest” operation has been busted by the Karnataka State Cyber Command Unit after fraudsters allegedly cheated a 74-year-old woman of nearly Rs 24 crore by impersonating senior officials from central investigative agencies.

Investigators said the accused targeted the elderly woman by creating a false narrative that she was under official investigation and psychologically pressured her into transferring huge sums of money over several weeks. Police described the case as one of the largest digital arrest fraud incidents reported in recent times and said the investigation has uncovered a wider interstate network.

Authorities have arrested several suspects and are continuing efforts to identify additional individuals involved in the operation.

Fraudsters allegedly posed as senior officials

According to investigators, the accused impersonated senior officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to gain the confidence of the victim.

Police stated that the victim, Lakshmi Ramamurthy, was allegedly manipulated through a fake “digital arrest” process in which the fraudsters convinced her that she was facing legal scrutiny.

Investigators said the accused used psychological pressure and fear tactics to convince her that immediate financial transactions were required for verification and investigation purposes.

The fraud reportedly continued for more than two months.

Nearly Rs 24 crore transferred through multiple transactions

Police said the victim allegedly transferred nearly Rs 24 crore from her bank account through 26 separate transactions between February 10 and April 24.

Investigators stated that the money was routed through 23 mule accounts spread across 10 different banks across the country.

Authorities said the fraudsters allegedly continued demanding more money even after receiving the initial transfers.

Investigators later found that the accused were attempting to extract additional funds from the victim through further manipulation.

Timely intervention prevented further losses

Police said the fraudsters were attempting to obtain an additional Rs 3 crore from the victim.

According to officials, the woman had reportedly initiated procedures for a gold loan of nearly Rs 3 crore to transfer more funds.

However, alert officials at ICICI Bank noticed suspicious activity linked to the account and informed the Karnataka State Cyber Command Unit.

The cybercrime team immediately intervened and counselled the victim, successfully preventing the transfer of the additional amount.

Police subsequently registered a case and launched an extensive investigation into the operation.

Accounts frozen and accused arrested

As part of the investigation, authorities tracked the first layer of mule bank accounts through which the funds had allegedly been routed and laundered.

Officials said assistance from the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal helped investigators freeze several linked accounts.

Police stated that more than Rs 4 crore was frozen during the operation, while an additional Rs 1.46 crore was recovered through court orders.

So far, six accused have been arrested and six mobile phones allegedly used in the crime have been seized.

The arrested individuals have been identified as N. Sivagnanam, Akkach Mallick, Palak Bhai Patel, Amit Narendra Patel, Om Prakash Rajput and Gaurav Kumar.

Officials said investigations are continuing to trace other members of the network and identify the individuals behind the wider operation.