New Delhi, Dec 29: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested an Assam-based woman in connection with a “digital arrest” cyber fraud that allegedly cheated Ludhiana industrialist S P Oswal of more than ₹7 crore, officials said on Monday.
The accused, Rumi Kalita, a resident of Assam, was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following searches conducted at 11 locations across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Assam.
According to the ED, Kalita allegedly offered and operated multiple mule bank accounts that were used to route the defrauded money in exchange for a fixed commission.
“The amounts cheated from victims were immediately diverted by a group of persons into various mule accounts. The credentials of these accounts were being used by Rumi Kalita for a certain percentage of the cheated money,” an ED spokesperson said.
Kalita was produced before a special court and remanded to ED custody till January 2, 2026. Investigators said evidence recovered during the searches indicates that she was “deeply involved in the diversion and layering of the proceeds of crime”.
During the search operations, the agency seized several incriminating documents and digital devices, officials added.
The case relates to a cyber fraud in which criminals allegedly placed Oswal under a so-called digital arrest by impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and using forged official and judicial documents.
The fraudsters allegedly coerced him into transferring ₹7 crore to multiple bank accounts.
The ED said ₹5.24 crore of the cheated amount has so far been recovered and returned to the victim.
The remaining funds were routed through mule accounts opened in the names of various individuals and entities, including labourers and delivery personnel, before being withdrawn in cash or further diverted.
The money laundering investigation was initiated on the basis of 10 FIRs registered by different police agencies against the same group of cybercriminals.
An earlier round of searches conducted on January 31 had also resulted in the seizure of documents linked to the case, the agency said.
