Navi Mumbai man, 80, duped of ₹4.38 crore in ‘digital arrest’ scam; account used to launder stolen funds

An 80-year-old Navi Mumbai man was scammed of ₹4.38 crore in a digital fraud, where his account was misused for laundering money from other victims.

NAVI MUMBAI: In the first “digital arrest” cyber fraud case registered in Navi Mumbai this year, an 80-year-old resident of Kharghar was allegedly cheated of ₹4.38 crore, with investigators also finding that his bank account was misused as a mule account to route money siphoned from other cybercrime victims.

Police confirmed that the total financial loss amounted to ₹4,38,62,210. (Representational Photo/PTI)

According to a complaint registered at the Cyber Police Station, Navi Mumbai, the fraud began on November 18 when the victim, a retired director of an engineering and technical institute in Jaipur, received a phone call from a man claiming to be from “Cyber Data Protection of India”.

“The caller alleged that a mobile number had been fraudulently obtained using the victim’s Aadhaar card and that a related offence had been registered at Nashik Police Station,” said an investigating officer.

Within minutes, the elderly man began receiving calls from multiple numbers, with the callers impersonating Nashik police personnel. He was then made to join a WhatsApp video call with a man posing as a police inspector. Soon after, other callers introduced themselves as senior officials from national investigation agencies and the Crime Branch, escalating the pressure and fear.

The complaint states that the frauds falsely claimed the victim’s Aadhaar details had been misused by a terror-linked person to open a bank account for money laundering. He was told an arrest warrant had been issued against him, but was being temporarily withheld due to his advanced age. To make the threats appear genuine, the accused shared forged FIRs, RBI letters, Enforcement Directorate notices and even fabricated Supreme Court communication on WhatsApp, all designed to look authentic.

“The complainant was warned not to discuss the matter with anyone, citing national security concerns,” the officer said.

Terrified and isolated, the man was allegedly instructed to withdraw his savings and investments and transfer the funds into so-called “RBI verification accounts”.

In a key twist, on November 24, ₹1.02 crore was credited to his bank account. The complainant was then asked to share transaction details and transfer the money onward to other accounts.

A senior cyber police official clarified that this amount did not belong to the victim.

“The ₹1.02 crore credited to the complainant’s account was money siphoned from other cyber fraud victims. His account was misused as a mule account for layering and transferring illicit funds,” the official said. Between November 26, 2025, and January 9, 2026, the victim transferred money multiple times to different bank accounts, believing he was complying with official verification procedures. The fraud came to light when the victim’s Bank of Maharashtra account was frozen, after Nagpur City Cyber Police flagged suspicious transactions linked to cybercrime.

Following this, the victim approached cyber authorities and on January 10, lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, before recording his statement at the Cyber Police Station, Navi Mumbai.

Police confirmed that the total financial loss amounted to ₹4,38,62,210. A case has been registered against unknown persons for impersonation, cheating, forgery, and offences under the Information Technology Act. Investigations are underway to trace the bank accounts, phone numbers, and IP addresses used in the fraud.