Dehradun, Nov. 14 -- The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has busted a nationwide digital arrest racket that duped victims of nearly Rs.87 lakh, and arrested the prime accused from Bengaluru, police said on Thursday. According to STF Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Navneet Singh Bhullar, the Cyber Crime Police Wing of the STF traced the network after complaints were received from Basant Vihar in Dehradun and Kaladhungi in Nainital, where victims were held under "digital house arrest" through WhatsApp video and voice calls by fraudsters posing as Mumbai Police and CBI officials. "The accused and his associates impersonated officials from the Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch and CBI, falsely accusing victims of money laundering and illegal transactions. They then kept the victims digitally confined for nearly 48 hours through continuous video calls, extorting money under the pretext of verification," SSP Bhullar said. The arrested accused has been identified as Kiran Kumar KS (31), son of Siddappa Kyaratte, a resident of Yelahanka Old Town, Bengaluru North. The STF recovered bank-related documents, a laptop, mobile phones, and SIM cards used in the crime from his possession, Bhullar said. He said the investigation began after a Dehradun resident lodged a complaint in September 2025, alleging that cyber criminals, impersonating Maharashtra Cyber Crime and CBI officers, claimed that his mobile number and Aadhaar ID were being misused for illegal money transfers. "Under threat of arrest, the victim was kept 'digitally confined' on WhatsApp calls for two days and forced to transfer Rs.59 lakh to multiple bank accounts." He said data obtained from banks, service providers, and Meta revealed that Rs.41 lakh of the amount was transferred on August 30, 2025, to a YES Bank account held in the name of Rajeshwari GAK Enterprise, registered in Bengaluru. "Further investigation led the team to Kiran Kumar, whose mobile numbers (9035585938 and 9591726128) were linked to the fraudulent account," he said. He said with the help of Yelahanka Old Town Police, STF officers raided Kumar's residence and arrested him on November 9. "Officials also identified Rajeshwari Rani (40), wife of Muthu Swami, a resident of Malleshapalya, Bengaluru, currently in Tamil Nadu, who has been sent a notice under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS)," he said....