Surat, September 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Surat Cyber Crime Branch has arrested a 35-year-old man from Delhi for allegedly assisting a cyber fraud network that kept a Gujarat man and his wife under “digital arrest” for five days and cheated them of Rs 13 lakh, police said on Friday.
The accused has been identified as Afaq Alam Ansari, an equipment supplier residing in Malad West, Mumbai, and originally from Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh. Police said he was traced to Delhi through a technical investigation.
According to investigators, the fraudsters contacted the complainant through phone and video calls, claiming that a SIM card had been issued in his name and that a Canara Bank account had been opened using his details. They allegedly told him that the account had been used for large financial transactions.
The accused allegedly sent the complainant a fake identity card carrying Mumbai Police and Maharashtra Police logos, along with purported documents from the CBI, Financial and Crime Branch, Reserve Bank of India and Supreme Court.
They further claimed that the Canara Bank account was linked to a money laundering and fraud case involving Naresh Goyal and alleged that the complainant was also implicated. Threatening him with arrest, they allegedly kept the couple under digital surveillance for five days.
The fraudsters then told the couple that funds in their bank accounts had to be transferred for verification. Acting on their instructions, the complainant transferred Rs 13 lakh to multiple bank accounts.
Police said Alam had set up a firm in his name using a Delhi address and opened a current account with Yes Bank. He allegedly handed over the account to an absconding accused in return for a Rs 3 lakh commission.
Investigators found transactions totalling Rs 1,05,37,721 in Alam’s account between December 6, 2025, and January 21, 2026. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal also showed three complaints from different states linked to the account, involving alleged fraud of Rs 2,43,03,521.
Police appealed to people not to share personal or banking details with individuals claiming to be police or government officials over video or audio calls. They said genuine officials do not conduct “digital arrests”, demand money as fines or ask people to transfer funds to accounts provided during such calls.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. The investigation is continuing.
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