Pramesh S Jain
In a major cybercrime breakthrough,Karnataka State Cyber Command police have arrested two accused in connection with a Rs.15.45 crore“digital arrest” fraud, while the key accused remains absconding.
The case,registered in March 18,2026,at the Belagavi City Cyber Crime Police Station,is based on a complaint filed by Ajit Gopalakrishna Saraf,a resident of Tilakwadi in Belagavi.
Senior officer told reporters that the victim was contacted by a fraudster posing as a senior official of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The caller falsely claimed that two SIM cards issued in the victim’s name were linked to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal,who was allegedly under investigation.
The accused further alleged that the victim had laundered Rs.25 lakh through his bank account and earned a Rs.5 lakh commission.
To create panic,the fraudster threatened the victim with immediate arrest under a so-called “digital arrest” procedure and forced him to cooperate.
Fearing legal action,the victim transferred a total of ₹15.45 crore through RTGS between February 7 and March 9,2026,to multiple bank accounts as instructed by the fraudsters.
During the investigation,police traced the money trail across several states, including Telangana,Delhi,Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and West Bengal.
The highest transaction of ₹2 crore was found to have been transferred to a Hyderabad-based bank account.
Based on leads,a special police team travelled to Hyderabad and arrested two accused Venkatesh Sharath Naik and Degavat Sripada Naik—on April 6, 2026.
They were produced before a court on April 7.
Investigators revealed that the accused had received ₹2 crore in a joint account at a private bank and had shared bank credentials,cheque books and internet banking access with another accused who is suspected to be the mastermind and is currently absconding.
Police said further investigation is underway to trace the remaining accused,track the layered money transfers, and recover the defrauded amount.
Cybercrime officials have warned the public that no law enforcement agency conducts arrests or investigations over phone or video calls,and urged citizens not to fall prey to such intimidation tactics.
Authorities have advised people to immediately report such incidents by calling 1930 or visiting the national cybercrime reporting portal.
