Oswal Digital Arrest Case: ED Files chargesheet against five accused

February 21, 2026

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against five accused in a money laundering case connected to the high-profile “digital arrest” cyber fraud targeting prominent industrialist and Vardhman Group Chairman SP Oswal.The chargesheet was submitted on February 19, 2026, before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Jalandhar, Punjab.

The accused include Rumi Kalita (from Guwahati), Arpit Rathore (from Kanpur), Anand Chaudhary, Atanu Chaudhary, and the entity Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics.The ED’s probe stemmed from an FIR lodged by the Ludhiana Cyber Crime Police Station under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Fraudsters, posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers, allegedly placed the 82-year-old Oswal under a so-called “digital arrest” — involving intimidation, fake video calls (including a staged appearance mimicking the Chief Justice of India via Skype), and false claims linking him to money laundering tied to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal.

Through continuous surveillance and threats, they coerced him into transferring approximately Rs 7 crore to accounts presented as a “Secret Supervision Account.”The investigation revealed that the extorted funds were laundered through a sophisticated network. Proceeds were routed via bank accounts linked to entities such as Rigglo Ventures Private Limited and Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics (controlled by Rumi Kalita and Arpit Rathore). An Android application called “AMMFORWARD” was allegedly used to quickly move money.

Arpit Rathore reportedly supplied mule bank accounts in countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, receiving commissions in cryptocurrency through his Binance account. Funds were fragmented into smaller transfers (Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh each) to numerous mule accounts — often opened by exploiting economically vulnerable people with fake promises of jobs or loans. The money was then withdrawn in cash, converted into virtual digital assets (cryptocurrency like USDT), and transferred abroad to foreign nationals after deducting commissions. Additional layering occurred through shell companies and trade-based money laundering techniques to remit funds overseas.

The probe also linked the same accounts to proceeds from at least eight other cybercrime cases, with funds credited to Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics on August 28, 2024. Earlier, the ED provisionally attached assets worth Rs 1.76 crore (bank balances in mule accounts) as part of the ongoing case.

Key accused Rumi Kalita was arrested on December 23, 2025, and Arpit Rathore on December 31, 2025; both remain in judicial custody. The case underscores the growing menace of “digital arrest” scams — a tactic authorities repeatedly clarify is not a legitimate law enforcement procedure — where criminals impersonate officials to extort money via video calls and digital intimidation.The ED continues its investigation into the broader syndicate and potential international linkages.