NGO fronts, remote access: Inside Rs 14.85-crore digital arrest

Eight bank accounts, including two linked to NGOs, three hotels in two states, and two men who were not paid commissions for helping execute a cyber fraud – these are among the key findings of a more than 600-page chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police before a court in March in what investigators have described as one of the Capital’s biggest “digital arrest” scams.The case pertains to an elderly couple in Greater Kailash, who were allegedly duped of Rs 14.85 crore after being placed under “digital arrest”, between December 24, 2025 and January 9, 2026.According to the police, the accused routed funds allegedly stolen from the couple through at least eight accounts, including NGO Shivansh Charitable Foundation (Rs 2.1 crore were routed through its account), NGO Floresta Foundation (Rs 4 crore), Refine Alpha Metals and Recycles Private Limited (Rs 2.05 crore), Metison Tour and Travel Limited (Rs 1.99 crore), Nature Bio Agri Chem Private Limited (Rs 50 lakh), Usha Tour & Travels (Rs 2.2 crore) and RN Recruiters Private Limited (Rs 2 crore). Police said the NGO Shivansh Charitable Foundation’s bank account was operated by one Arun Kumar Tiwari from Varanasi. “During questioning, Arun said that a Varanasi resident, Dr Brijesh Kumar, introduced him to one Praduman Tiwari, who claimed that he would secure funding for his NGO from a company under the guise of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility),” said an officer. Arun was allegedly instructed that once the funds were deposited into his NGO’s account, they would keep 8% and return the remaining balance to the company. “Last November, Arun met one Atul Mishra alias Bhupender, who asked him to arrange a corporate account to receive funds on which a 5% commission will be paid,” the officer said. Police said Arun, Praduman and Bhupender met at Hotel Gayatri in Lucknow on January 5, and Rs 2.1 crore of the cheated amount was transferred to the NGO’s corporate account on January 6.Story continues below this ad According to the probe, another account that received a significant portion of the proceeds belonged to Floresta Foundation, an NGO registered in 2022 in the name of Patel Divyang. “Divyang said that around two months ago (in November), he came in contact with one Shitole Krutik. On the pretext of receiving ‘legal NGO donations’, Krutik persuaded him to provide the bank account details of his NGO. Despite his inquiries regarding the legality of the funds, Krutik assured him that the money was legitimate,” the officer said. On December 29, 2025, Divyang was allegedly taken to MD Hotel by Krutik, where he met one Neel Kailashbhai, a resident of Ahmedabad. Neel, a BCom graduate, has told police he had previously worked with several banks between 2023 and 2025, handling credit cards, bank accounts, and Demat account sales. He allegedly roped in one Robin, who installed an APK file on Divyang’s mobile phone at the hotel, thereby gaining unauthorised remote access to the device.Story continues below this ad “On December 30, 2025, they moved to Ambika Hotel, where Neel accessed Divyang’s email and mobile banking to transfer cheated funds to secondary accounts,” the officer said. Around Rs 4 crore, in two transactions, was transferred into Divyang’s account by a handler who was in touch with Robin through a Telegram account named ‘Charli Yan’. Divyang has allegedly claimed that he was misled by Krutik and Neel and was unaware that his NGO’s account was being used as a mule account for siphoning cyber fraud proceeds. Krutik, meanwhile, has told police that he witnessed Neel transferring money from the NGO’s account to multiple other accounts.Story continues below this ad However, Krutik claimed that Neel did not pay him the promised 2.5% commission – Rs 10 lakh – and refused to return login credentials or provide documentation for the transactions. Robin has also alleged that he was promised a commission of 2.5% but the payment was withheld. While Robin and Neel were arrested between January