Panaji, October 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested an alleged “RTGS agent” working for a cybercrime network accused of digitally arresting a Goa woman and extorting Rs 2.6 crore from her, an official said on Monday.
Mukesh Kumar Pukhraj Jain, alias Mukesh Bhai, was arrested on October 16 by the ED’s Panaji Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the case involving the Goa resident, the agency said in a statement.
Following his arrest, a Special Court under the PMLA in Goa remanded Jain to ED custody until Monday. He is the sixth accused to be arrested in the case, according to the statement.
The central probe agency alleged that Jain destroyed records and mobile handsets containing evidence of the cybercrime network’s operations after the ED conducted searches at some of its premises.
The agency also said Jain failed to appear on the date fixed for recording his statement and gave evasive replies when he subsequently appeared before investigators.
The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station in North Goa.
According to the agency, the victim was kept on a video call and made to believe that she was under criminal investigation. She was allegedly coerced into transferring around Rs 2.6 crore into bank accounts falsely described as “Secret Supervision Accounts”.
The ED investigation revealed that the extorted money was routed through a network of companies allegedly established to receive proceeds of cyber fraud through bank transfers, convert the funds into cash and subsequently exchange them for foreign currency.
The agency said accounts linked to the network had figured in more than 300 victim complaints and over 160 FIRs registered across more than 20 states and Union Territories. The reported losses associated with these cases amount to approximately Rs 417 crore, it added.
According to the ED, Jain worked as an RTGS agent for the network, arranging bank credits into its accounts. In return, he allegedly received cash from those controlling the network and retained a commission.
The agency further stated that, in his statements recorded under the PMLA, Jain admitted knowing that the money involved in the transaction chain originated from cyber frauds, including digital arrest scams.
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