Delhi High Court Denies Bail In ₹22 Cr 'Digital Arrest' Scam Targeting Senior Citizen, Cites Massive Societal Impact

The Delhi High Court has denied bail to four accused persons in a ₹22 crore “digital arrest” cyber fraud case involving a senior citizen, observing that such offences have a massive societal impact and require a strict approach.Justice Manoj Jain dismissed the regular bail pleas of two accused and the anticipatory bail applications of two others, holding that their release at this stage could hamper the ongoing investigation.The case pertains to a fraud played on a man in his late seventies, who was deceived by fraudsters impersonating telecom officials and later law enforcement authorities. The victim was subjected to psychological coercion through video calls, made to believe that he was involved in a large-scale financial and terror-funding offence, and was compelled to transfer money over a period of time.According to the prosecution, an amount of ₹22.92 crore was siphoned off from the victim through multiple transactions. Of this, ₹1.90 crore was routed through a bank account linked to one of the accused, which was allegedly used as a “mule account” for transferring and withdrawing funds.During investigation, the police uncovered a network of individuals allegedly acting in concert, including those who provided bank accounts, facilitated transactions and helped in siphoning off funds. The prosecution claimed that the accused were part of a larger conspiracy and that the cheated amount was yet to be recovered.Opposing bail, the prosecution emphasised the seriousness of the offence and pointed out that the investigation was still underway, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) having recently taken over such cases pursuant to directions of the Supreme Court.The Court noted that incidents of “digital arrest”, particularly targeting vulnerable senior citizens, are on the rise and have wide-ranging societal consequences.“These matters have to be dealt with extra sensitivity and different approach as these offences not only erode the public trust and confidence but impact the entire Society,” it observed.Rejecting the argument that some of the accused had a limited or peripheral role, the Court held that in complex cyber frauds, each participant plays a crucial role in the execution of the conspiracy.“The offence in question is an organized crime, having massive societal impact. Every player, participating in a scam related to digital arrest, plays pivotal role, in one way or the other…At this stage, the applicants cannot be dubbed as victims or minor players or mere holders or providers of mule accounts. Their roles cannot be characterized as mere peripheral. They seem to be important cogs of the conspirational wheel. The wheel would not have moved, without their involvement.”As such, the Court dismissed all four bail applications.Appearance: For the Petitioner: Mr. Mohit Chaudhary, Mr. Kunal Sachdeva and Mr. Lakshay Yadav, Advocates in BAIL APPLN. 40/2026 Mr. Arjun Singh Bhati and Ms. Sajal Sinha, Advocates in BAIL APPLN. 133/2026 Mr. Dhruv Sharma, Mr. Puneet B. and Mr. Shivam Verma, Advocates in BAIL APPLN. 226/2026 & BAIL APPLN. 243/2026; For the Respondent: Mr. Anupam S.Sharrma, Mr. Abhiyant Singh, Mr. Vashisht Rao and Ms. Amisha P. Dash, Advocates. Mr. Nupur Sharma, Mr. Manan P., Ms. Apurva Gaur, Mr. Mohit Kumar Bansal and Ms. Priya Tripathi, Advocates for complainant.Case title: Ashok Kumar v. StateCase no.: BAIL APPLN. 40/2026Click here to read order

Delhi High Court Denies Bail In ₹22 Cr 'Digital Arrest' Scam Targeting Senior Citizen, Cites Massive Societal Impact

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