ED freezes Rs 2.12 crore in 43 accounts over 'digital arrest' fraud on Guwahati senior citizen

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken action in a case in which an elderly man in Guwahati was cheated of crores of rupees in the name of a 'digital arrest'. The agency has provisionally attached about Rs 2.12 crore lying in 43 accounts at six banks. The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The case dates to between September and December 2025. Cyber fraudsters contacted the elderly man posing as officials of TRAI, the Mumbai Crime Branch and the CBI. He was frightened with the claim that a bank account opened on his Aadhaar card was being used in money laundering.

He was then placed under 'digital arrest' over WhatsApp video calls. He was kept under pressure with fake court proceedings and a fake 'digital arrest warrant'. He was told to mark his attendance every two hours. He was also threatened with action under the 'National Security Act' if he told anyone.

In the name of an 'RBI inquiry' into family funds and then a fake 'bail bond', the victim was forced to send about Rs 2.13 crore to different bank accounts in 19 transactions. To raise the money, he sold fixed deposits, mutual funds and shares. He also took loans against his pension account and insurance policies.

The ED's investigation found that the money was first deposited in 'mule accounts'. It was then moved in parts through the bank accounts of individuals, companies and firms across the country.

To make the money harder to trace, some of it was withdrawn in cash and some was converted into digital currency. The investigation also found that money was routed through payment gateways and other bank accounts.

Tracing the flow of money, the ED identified 43 bank accounts linked to the proceeds of the fraud. The roughly Rs 2.12 crore remaining in these accounts has been provisionally attached under Section 5(1) of the PMLA. The ED is continuing the investigation.