ED attaches ₹2.12 crore in accounts linked to digital arrest scam

This is a press release from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Guwahati Zonal Office-I, announcing the provisional attachment of approximately Rs. 2.12 Crore in bank accounts linked to a cyber fraud case involving the 'digital arrest' of a senior citizen. It matters to citizens as it details a specific modus operandi used to defraud elderly individuals and the government's action to recover the proceeds.

Who it concerns: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Guwahati Zonal Office-I; the senior citizen victim in Guwahati; the cyber fraudsters and the network of mule account holders; and the banks involved (Axis Bank, Bank of India, Federal Bank, IndusInd Bank, Punjab National Bank, and State Bank of India).

What the ED says it did

• ED issued a Provisional Attachment Order under Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
• Approximately Rs. 2.12 Crore was attached from 43 bank accounts across six banks.
• The investigation was initiated based on an FIR registered by the Cyber Police Station, CID, Assam, Guwahati, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
• The fraud occurred between September and December 2025, where fraudsters impersonated TRAI, Mumbai Crime Branch, and CBI officials.
• The victim was coerced into transferring Rs. 2.13 Crore in 19 transactions by liquidating assets and taking loans.
• ED identified the attached accounts as part of an organised network of mule accounts used to route and conceal the proceeds of crime.

Also in the document

• The fraudsters used WhatsApp video calls to show fabricated court proceedings and a fake 'Digital Arrest Warrant'.
• The victim was threatened with detention under the National Security Act if he disclosed the matter.
• The funds were routed through multiple layers of accounts, withdrawn in cash, converted to digital currency, or moved to payment gateways to conceal the trail.
• The transactions in the mule accounts were found to be inconsistent with the declared profiles of the account holders.