Cyber fraudsters cheat 85-year-old of Rs 9 crore using ‘digital arrest’ tactic
The fraudster asked the victim to share all banking and investment details, warning him not to inform anyone about the arrest.
- Dec 24, 2025,
- Updated Dec 24, 2025 10:33 PM IST
An 85-year-old city resident was cheated of Rs 9 crore by fraudsters who claimed he was under a “digital arrest” for money laundering and transferring funds to a terrorist organisation, police said on Wednesday, according to PTI News.
The victim, a former head of department at an engineering college, lodged a complaint with the South Region Cyber Police Station on Monday.
According to the complaint, on November 28 he received a call from a man claiming to be an inspector from Panchvati Police Station in Nashik. The caller alleged that the victim’s name and Aadhaar number had been used to open a bank account involved in money laundering and transactions with the banned terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI). “A case was being registered against him, and a special investigation team of the ‘CBI crime branch’ was conducting a probe,” the complaint said.
On December 1, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from a man in a police uniform, who claimed that an arrest warrant had been issued against him and that he had been “digitally arrested”.
The fraudster asked him to share all banking and investment details, warning him not to inform anyone about the arrest. He was then instructed to transfer all his savings and invested funds—including mutual funds, fixed deposits and share market holdings—to multiple bank accounts. The victim was told the money would be returned with interest after “verification.”
Frightened, he transferred Rs 9 crore between December 1 and 22. When the calls stopped and the supposed officers became unreachable, he realised he had been cheated and contacted the police via the ‘1930’ cyber helpline. A probe into the incident is underway, a cyber police station official said.
Earlier this month, a similar “digital arrest” scam was reported in Bengaluru. A 57-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of over Rs 2.05 crore by cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officials. Police explained that digital arrest scams involve fraudsters threatening victims over phone or video calls and coercing them into transferring money online.
(With inputs from PTI)
An 85-year-old city resident was cheated of Rs 9 crore by fraudsters who claimed he was under a “digital arrest” for money laundering and transferring funds to a terrorist organisation, police said on Wednesday, according to PTI News.
The victim, a former head of department at an engineering college, lodged a complaint with the South Region Cyber Police Station on Monday.
According to the complaint, on November 28 he received a call from a man claiming to be an inspector from Panchvati Police Station in Nashik. The caller alleged that the victim’s name and Aadhaar number had been used to open a bank account involved in money laundering and transactions with the banned terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI). “A case was being registered against him, and a special investigation team of the ‘CBI crime branch’ was conducting a probe,” the complaint said.
On December 1, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from a man in a police uniform, who claimed that an arrest warrant had been issued against him and that he had been “digitally arrested”.
The fraudster asked him to share all banking and investment details, warning him not to inform anyone about the arrest. He was then instructed to transfer all his savings and invested funds—including mutual funds, fixed deposits and share market holdings—to multiple bank accounts. The victim was told the money would be returned with interest after “verification.”
Frightened, he transferred Rs 9 crore between December 1 and 22. When the calls stopped and the supposed officers became unreachable, he realised he had been cheated and contacted the police via the ‘1930’ cyber helpline. A probe into the incident is underway, a cyber police station official said.
Earlier this month, a similar “digital arrest” scam was reported in Bengaluru. A 57-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of over Rs 2.05 crore by cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officials. Police explained that digital arrest scams involve fraudsters threatening victims over phone or video calls and coercing them into transferring money online.
(With inputs from PTI)