Kolkata Police arrest 11 people, including mastermind Chirag Kapoor, for digital arrest scams in major crackdown

Police arrested a key mastermind, who was identified as Chirag Kapoor, from Bengaluru on Thursday.

Police told media they were trying to trace him sine September.

“Three routers, several hard discs, a landline phone, a laptop, cheque books, PAN cards and rubber stamps in the names of various companies and organisations were recovered from his possession,” a senior police officer told The Telegraph.

Police said a makeshift office belonging to Kapoor's gang was busted in Kolkata last year.

Police said Kapoor had been evading arrest since then.

Sources told News 18 that Kapoor has been linked to 930 digital arrest fraud cases.

The police reportedly started investigating the racket last year after a woman lodged a complaint with the cybercrime unit and alleged she was super of Rs 47 lakh.

Last year, Indian PM Narendra Modi cautioned countrymen about the scam.

Emphasizing the seriousness of the issue, he urged citizens to adopt a 'wait, think, and take action' approach when faced with such scams.

The term "digital arrest" describes a cybercrime in which scammers impersonate law enforcement officials and threaten victims with arrest unless they pay a certain amount. Reports of this scam have been on the rise nationwide.