ED Arrests Advocate in Pan-India Cyber Fraud Case

The Enforcement Directorate arrested an advocate at the Mumbai airport in connection with an alleged pan-India cyber fraud and digital arrest investigation involving transactions worth Rs 28,000 crore. Investigators intercepted the individual at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport while he was attempting to board a flight to Delhi, with assistance from Customs and Central Industrial Security Force personnel. Following the interception, the accused was transported to Panaji and produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court, which remanded the individual to agency custody until October 29. This action brought the total number of arrests in the ongoing investigation to seven.

According to the agency, the broader investigation originated from an FIR registered by Goa Police on June 9, 2025. This initial complaint stemmed from an incident where a Goa-based woman was allegedly deceived into transferring Rs 2.60 crore between May 21, 2025, and June 2, 2025, into various mule accounts by fraudsters who placed her under digital arrest. Investigators alleged that the arrested advocate served as a central node in the network. When law enforcement complaints led to the freezing of network bank accounts, the individual allegedly secured their release by bribing officials through a private cash-handling network known as Angadiyas.

The agency further alleged that the advocate enrolled professionally but never formally appeared or filed documentation for any accused persons or companies linked to the network. Stolen funds from the Goa victim were reportedly distributed across 400 mule accounts tied to commodity, travel, and forex entities operated by dummy directors. These funds were allegedly withdrawn as cash and exchanged into foreign currency via authorized money changers. Overall, the network's accounts feature in more than 160 FIRs and over 300 victim complaints across 20 states and Union territories, with total reported losses exceeding Rs 400 crore. Authorities are continuing efforts to identify officials who allegedly accepted bribes, trace intermediaries, and track the remaining proceeds of crime.

Not yet reported: The reports do not disclose the final identities of the officials who allegedly accepted bribes or the final judicial outcomes for the accused.