Over 10,000 bank accounts created to route senior citizen’s money: Police

A reward has been announced for information about some of the accused who played a crucial role in the scam and are on the run such as Vijay Khanna and Devendra Saini from Ajmer

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra cyber police have filed a 2,500-page charge-sheet in the ₹58-crore ‘digital arrest’ case, naming 32 arrested persons and 41 wanted accused. A reward has been announced for information about some of the accused who played a crucial role in the scam and are on the run such as Vijay Khanna and Devendra Saini from Ajmer. “We have announced rewards for anyone who provides credible information about them,” said a police officer.

Over 10,000 bank accounts created to route senior citizen’s money: Police

The police said they had found that more than 10,000 mule bank accounts were used in the case with links to China, Indonesia and Hong Kong. The accounts were used by cyber criminals to route the ₹58 crore across borders. The money was even converted into crypto currency and routed abroad via digital wallets. The officials have learnt that the accused even opened current bank accounts in the name of various firms, which were used in the scam.

The scam began in August 2025, when a 72-year-old Mumbai resident was coerced by the fraudsters, who posed as law-enforcement officials. A vice-president with a healthcare company, he had sold the shares that he held of the company and deposited the money in his bank account.

According to investigators, the senior citizen was first contacted by a person posing as an official of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), who alleged that his mobile number was being used to send illegal messages. The call was then transferred to another fraudster impersonating an officer from the Mumbai Crime Branch, who claimed that the victim’s bank accounts were linked to money-laundering activities.

The scammers then told the victim that he was under ‘digital arrest’ and that his assets would be seized unless he cooperated. To convince him, they even conducted a fake court proceeding over a video call, during which some of the accused posed as police officers and judges. Believing the staged interaction to be genuine, the victim transferred over ₹58 crore over a span of 40 days.

An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.