STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In a major breakthrough against cybercrime, the swift and coordinated action of Police Station CICE (Crime Branch), Jammu, led to the recovery and saving of Rs 39.90 lakh in a “Digital Arrest” cyber fraud case involving a retired Indian Air Force officer.
According to police, PS CICE Jammu received an online complaint on February 6, 2026, from the victim who reported being placed under a so-called “digital arrest” for nine days and defrauded of Rs 52.90 lakh. Acting immediately, the police initiated a detailed financial investigation, traced beneficiary bank accounts, and followed the money trail without delay.
Within just three hours of receiving the complaint, police traced Rs 11.90 lakh to a suspected Yes Bank account in Jodhpur and promptly placed the amount on hold by invoking the newly issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Additionally, a lien of Rs 4.90 lakh was marked in subsequent layers of linked accounts. Further coordination with concerned banks enabled the tracing of another Rs 28 lakh in second-layer accounts. In total, Rs 39,90,482 of the defrauded amount was successfully secured.
DySP Albeena Malik, SHO PS CICE Jammu, said, “The timely reporting by the complainant and immediate action by our team helped prevent further siphoning of funds. The newly introduced SOP proved highly effective in freezing the proceeds of crime at multiple levels.”
SSP CICE J&K, while appreciating the team’s efforts, stated that this case marks the first operational use of the new SOP in a live investigation, demonstrating its strength in tackling cyber-enabled financial frauds. “Such prompt action sends a strong message to cyber criminals and reinforces public trust in the system,” the SSP said.
The recovered amount will be remitted to the complainant’s account shortly through the Court, providing significant relief to the victim and his family. The investigation was carried out by Inspector Pradeep Singh and HC Rakesh Choudhary under the overall supervision of SSP CICE J&K.
