Guwahati, Oct 7 — The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached bank balances totalling around Rs 2.12 crore in 43 accounts in connection with a cyber fraud involving the alleged "digital arrest" of a senior citizen in Guwahati, officials said on Wednesday.
The ED's Guwahati Zonal Office-I issued the provisional attachment order under Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The attached balances were held in accounts with Axis Bank, Bank of India, Bandhan Bank, IndusInd Bank, Punjab National Bank and State Bank of India.
According to the agency, the investigation began following an FIR registered by the Cyber Police Station, CID, Assam, Guwahati, under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000, against unidentified cyber fraudsters.
The investigation revealed that between September and December 2025, the accused allegedly impersonated officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
They allegedly contacted the senior citizen through WhatsApp video calls and falsely claimed that a bank account opened using his Aadhaar details was involved in money laundering.
The victim was allegedly subjected to a "digital arrest", shown fabricated court proceedings and a fake "Digital Arrest Warrant", and threatened with detention under the National Security Act if he disclosed the matter.
The fraudsters allegedly demanded money under the pretext of an "RBI inspection" and later a "bail bond", coercing the victim into transferring around Rs 2.13 crore through 19 transactions.
The ED said the money was routed through multiple mule bank accounts held by individuals, firms and companies across the country.
The funds were allegedly converted into cash and digital currency, routed through payment gateways and transferred to other accounts to conceal their trail.
Tracing the proceeds of crime, the agency identified 43 bank accounts containing balances linked to the fraud and provisionally attached them to prevent further dissipation.
The investigation is continuing, the ED said.