ED Arrests ‘Principal Handler’ in S.P. Oswal Digital Arrest Case, Sends Him to 7-Day Custody
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Sohel Akthar alias Raju in connection with the alleged digital arrest scam involving industrialist S.P. Oswal, after conducting searches at three locations in West Bengal.
The ED’s Jalandhar Zonal Office carried out the searches on September 28, 2026, and arrested Akthar in Kolkata under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
A Calcutta court granted transit remand, allowing the ED to take Akthar to Jalandhar. The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Jalandhar, subsequently remanded him to ED custody for seven days, until October 6.
The investigation began following an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station in Ludhiana under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The ED has also taken nine additional FIRs linked to digital arrest-related cybercrimes allegedly involving the same group into its investigation.
Rs 7 Crore Allegedly Extorted From S.P. Oswal
According to the ED, fraudsters allegedly posing as officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation and members of the judiciary subjected S.P. Oswal to a digital arrest and extorted around Rs 7 crore from him.
The agency said the alleged proceeds of crime were initially routed through bank accounts linked to Rigglo Ventures Private Limited and Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics.
The ED investigation found that accounts belonging to Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics were allegedly controlled by accused Rumi Kalita of Guwahati and Arpit Rathore of Kanpur. Both were arrested by the agency in December 2025.
The agency said an APK application called ‘AMMFORWARD’ was allegedly used to quickly route the proceeds through different bank accounts.
Sohel Akthar Allegedly Handled Mule Accounts
According to the ED, its investigation has identified Sohel Akthar as an alleged principal handler involved in recruiting individuals and arranging mule bank accounts for routing cybercrime proceeds.
The agency said Akthar allegedly controlled and operated bank accounts linked to Rigglo Ventures Private Limited and supplied mule accounts to foreign-based individuals in return for commissions paid through virtual digital assets.
The ED further alleged that mobile phones containing pre-installed APK files were used with SIM cards linked to bank accounts. These applications allegedly enabled associates based in Nepal to access OTPs and SMS messages connected to the accounts, allowing funds to be moved quickly.
The agency said proceeds were transferred through multiple mule accounts before being layered through shell entities and, in some cases, moved outside India through alleged trade-based money laundering mechanisms.
Mule Accounts Allegedly Created Using False Job, Loan Promises
The ED said some mule bank accounts were allegedly opened by inducing economically vulnerable individuals with promises of loans or employment.
According to the agency, amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh were transferred into some of these accounts before the money was withdrawn in cash. The ED alleged that the cash was then used to acquire virtual digital assets, which were subsequently transferred to accounts belonging to foreign nationals after commissions were deducted.
The agency also said end-to-end encrypted private messaging applications were allegedly used to share mule account details with foreign-based associates.
Three Arrests So Far
The ED said its investigation has so far resulted in the arrest of three individuals: Rumi Kalita on December 23, 2025, Arpit Rathore on December 31, 2025, and Sohel Akthar alias Raju on September 28, 2026.
The agency also issued a provisional attachment order on February 14, 2026, involving assets worth Rs 1.76 crore.
A prosecution complaint was filed on February 19, 2026, against Rumi Kalita, Arpit Rathore, Anand Chaudhary, Atanu Chaudhary and his firm, Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics.
The ED said further investigation into the alleged cybercrime and money-laundering network is continuing.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
