In a major crackdown, a team from the Delhi Police has busted a gang involved in operating fake bank accounts and duping victims through impersonation, officials said on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia stated that a 45-year-old woman from Lahori Gate filed a complaint alleging she had received a call from an unknown number.

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The caller posed as a Telecom Department employee and accused her of using a fake SIM card registered in her name.

The victim further reported receiving WhatsApp video calls from individuals impersonating Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers.

The fraudsters subsequently sent her a forged petition bearing the name and seal of the Supreme Court, alleging her involvement in a money laundering case and threatening arrest.

The complainant added that she was subjected to a “digital arrest” via live video call for 48 hours, from the morning of March 5 to March 7, during which she was confined in her home along with her daughter and elderly father.

According to her statement, the fraudsters extorted Rs 8.10 lakh from her, promising to remove her name from the fictitious case. When she became suspicious, she lodged a complaint through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).

Following the registration of the case on March 24 at the Cyber Police Station (North), the investigating team retrieved call records, traced the money trail, and gathered other technical evidence.

DCP Banthia said the preliminary investigation indicated that the victim had been duped in a professional and systematic manner.

Using location tracking, the accused were traced to multiple areas including Zamrudpur, East of Kailash, and Greater Kailash. A raid on March 31 led to the arrest of three suspects.

During sustained interrogation, one of the arrested individuals confessed and disclosed that they recruited local residents to open fake bank accounts, luring them with commissions for each fraudulent transaction.

Further investigation led the team to Chanakyapuri and RK Puram, where they apprehended another accused, Anup Kumar Tiwari. During questioning, he confessed to defrauding another victim of approximately Rs 18 lakh.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and police are continuing their efforts to apprehend additional co-accused still at large.