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New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has conducted searches at 11 locations across five states in connection with a major anti-money laundering probe into a digital arrest scam, in which Ludhiana-based industrialist S P Oswal was cheated of more than ₹7 crore, officials said on Thursday.
The searches were carried out on Monday in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Assam under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. “Various incriminating documents and digital devices were recovered and seized during the search proceedings,” an ED spokesperson said in a statement.
Money Laundering Trail and Arrest
The ED on Tuesday arrested Rumi Kalita from Assam after it emerged that she had allegedly provided mule bank accounts used to route and layer the proceeds of crime. “The amounts cheated from victims were immediately diverted by a group of persons into various mule accounts. Rumi Kalita allegedly used the credentials of these accounts instead of a fixed percentage of the cheated money as her share,” the spokesperson said.
Investigators said evidence recovered during the searches indicates that Kalita was deeply involved in diversion, layering and concealment of illicit funds. She has been remanded to ED custody till January 2, 2026.
How the Digital Arrest Scam Worked
The money-laundering probe was initiated based on 10 FIRs registered by different police authorities, relating to cybercrime and digital arrest frauds linked to the same criminal network.
According to the ED, fraudsters impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers used forged official and judicial documents to place Oswal under a so-called “digital arrest,” coercing him into transferring funds.
“During the digital arrest of S P Oswal, the accused forced him to transfer ₹7 crore into various bank accounts. Of this, ₹5.24 crore was traced, recovered and transferred back,” the ED said.
The remaining amount, the agency added, was routed through multiple mule accounts opened in the names of labourers, delivery boys and shell entities, and was either rapidly layered or withdrawn in cash to evade detection.
Ongoing Probe
This is not the first action in the case. The ED had earlier conducted searches on January 31, which also led to the seizure of incriminating material. Officials said further investigation is underway to identify the entire syndicate, including recruiters of mule accounts and beneficiaries of the laundered funds.
