Key facts
- CBI searched over 80 locations under 'Operation Chakra-VI'
- Raids spread across 16 states
- Targeted pan-India 'digital arrest' scam networks
- Digital arrest frauds involve impersonating law enforcement to extort money
The CBI descended on over 80 locations across 16 Indian states in a single day as part of 'Operation Chakra-VI', the agency's latest and largest coordinated assault on the 'digital arrest' fraud ecosystem. The raids targeted the networks behind one of the fastest-growing cybercrime categories in India, where fraudsters pose as CBI, ED, narcotics, or customs officers and convince victims they face imminent arrest unless they transfer money immediately.
The scam typically unfolds over video calls, with perpetrators in fake uniforms keeping victims in prolonged 'digital custody' — sometimes for days — while extracting funds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged the menace in his Mann Ki Baat broadcast last year, calling it a national threat, and multiple high-profile cases involving retired professionals and senior citizens losing crores had already drawn public outrage.
The CBI's operation signals a shift from reactive case-by-case policing to dismantling the underlying infrastructure — including call centres, SIM card networks, and money mule accounts — that enable these frauds at scale. Searches across 16 states suggest the racket operates through a distributed, pan-India network with no single geographic hub.
Law enforcement sources indicated the operation was coordinated with intelligence inputs gathered over several months. Arrests and further details are expected as the agency processes evidence seized from the raided locations. Cybercrime experts say meaningful deterrence will also require action against telecom intermediaries who enable bulk spoofed calls.