The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested an Assam resident, Rumi Kalita, for her alleged role in a large cyber fraud case involving more than Rs 7 crore. The case relates to a “digital arrest” scam in which a Ludhiana-based industrialist, S. P. Oswal, was tricked into transferring money after fraudsters posed as government officials. Officials said the ED took Kalita into custody after carrying out searches at 11 locations across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Assam under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. During these searches, the agency said it recovered several important documents and digital devices linked to the case.
According to investigators, Kalita allegedly arranged and handled mule bank accounts. These are accounts opened in the names of different people and used to quickly move cheated money so that it becomes harder to trace. The ED said that as soon as money was taken from victims, it was routed through such accounts, and Kalita was believed to be operating some of them in return for a fixed cut. The agency also said evidence found so far suggests that Kalita was deeply involved in the diversion and layering of the illegal funds. She was produced before a court and has been sent to ED custody till January 2, 2026. The case began when cybercriminals allegedly impersonated Central Bureau of Investigation officials and used forged legal papers to frighten industrialist S. P. Oswal. They reportedly told him he was under investigation and placed him under what they claimed was a “digital arrest”. Under pressure, he transferred around Rs 7 crore into different bank accounts.
The ED said that out of the total amount, Rs 5.24 crore has already been recovered and returned. The rest was allegedly pushed into several mule accounts opened in the names of ordinary people, such as labourers and delivery workers, before being withdrawn in cash or moved further. The money laundering investigation is based on ten FIRs filed by different police units against the same cybercrime network. The ED had earlier carried out searches on January 31, during which it seized more materials linked to the scam.