Jalandhar, Oct 1 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested a cyber-criminal from Kolkata in connection with a Rs 7 crore 'digital arrest' of a citizen in Punjab's Ludhiana who was threatened by the gang members by impersonating as "Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials" and "judge", an official said on Thursday.
Sohel Akhtar alias Raju was arrested by the ED's Jalandhar Zonal Office after conducting search operations on September 28 at three locations in West Bengal.
The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with a case pertaining to the digital arrest of S.P. Oswal, a resident of Ludhiana, the ED official said in a statement.
Akhtar is the third accused to be arrested in the case.
The other two accused Rumi Kalita and Arpit Rathore -- were arrested on December 23, 2025, and December 31, 2025, respectively, the ED said.
After his arrest, Akhtar was produced before the Jalandhar Additional District and Sessions Judge, who remanded him to ED custody till October 6.
The ED investigation was initiated following an FIR registered by Cyber Crime Police Station in Ludhiana under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
Nine additional FIRs related to cybercrime involving digital arrest by the same group have also been included in the investigation.
The investigation revealed that during the digital arrest of Oswal, fraudsters impersonating officials of the "CBI and the Judiciary" and extorted Rs 7 crore from the victim, the ED said.
"The proceeds of crime were initially credited to the bank accounts of companies -- Rigglo Ventures Private Limited and Frozenman Warehousing and Logistics. These accounts were controlled by accused Rumi Kalita of Guwahati and Arpit Rathore of Kanpur," the ED said.
An APK application named "AMMFORWARD" was allegedly used for the rapid routing of proceeds of crime, it added.
Rathore provided various mule bank accounts belonging to persons based in Cambodia and Vietnam and received commissions in the form of virtual digital assets (cryptocurrency) in his Binance account, the ED said.
The ED investigation revealed that the bank accounts of Rigglo Ventures were controlled and operated by Akhtar, who played a principal role in recruiting individuals for arranging mule bank accounts of individuals and entities.
It was found that mobile phones with pre-downloaded APK files were used to insert SIM cards linked to the bank accounts of Rigglo Ventures Private Limited and other entities, the ED added.
The APK files were subsequently activated on these mobile phones, enabling foreign-based associates (located in Nepal) to access OTPs and other SMS messages on their respective mobile devices. This arrangement facilitated the routing of proceeds of crime through the said bank accounts, the ED said.
The investigation also found Akhtar provided various mule bank accounts to foreign-based individuals and received commissions in the form of virtual digital assets (cryptocurrency) in his Binance account or in the Binance accounts of his associates.
The proceeds of crime were subsequently transferred to multiple mule bank accounts in a systematic manner, facilitating the diversion and concealment of cybercrime proceeds, the ED added.
"Funds flowing through these downstream accounts were used for further cybercrimes and accommodation entries. The proceeds of crime were layered through shell entities and remitted outside India by adopting trade-based money laundering mechanisms," the ED said.
Balance proceeds of crime were transferred to various mule bank accounts in small amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, and the cash was immediately withdrawn from these bank accounts, the ED added.
The cash was utilised for the acquisition of virtual digital assets, and these virtual digital assets were credited to the accounts of foreign nationals after retaining commission, it said.
These mule accounts were opened by inducing economically vulnerable individuals through false promises of arranging loans or providing employment, the statement said.
The ED investigation has also revealed the use of end-to-end encrypted private mobile messaging applications to share mule bank account details with foreign-based associates.
The ED investigation has, so far, resulted in the issuance of a provisional attachment order dated February 14, 2026, involving proceeds of crime worth Rs 1.76 crore and the filing of a charge sheet on February 19 against Kalita, Rathore, Anand Chaudhary, Atanu Chaudhary, and Frozenman Warehousing and Logistics.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.