85-year-old retired engineering professor loses Rs 9 crore to digital arrest scam

PTI, December 24, 2025, Mumbai :  An 85-year-old city resident was duped of Rs 9 crore by fraudsters who put him under so-called digital arrest by claiming that his bank account had been used for money laundering and transfer of funds to a terrorist outfit, police said on Wednesday.

The victim, a former head of department at an engineering college, approached the South Region Cyber Police Station with a complaint on Monday, said an official.

On November 28, he received a call from a man who introduced himself as an inspector of Panchvati Police Station in Nashik, the complaint said.

The caller claimed that his name and Aadhaar number had been used to open a bank account. This account had been used for money laundering and also for financial transactions with the banned terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), the caller said, adding that a case was being registered against him, and a special investigation team of the "CBI crime branch" was conducting a probe.

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 he had been "digitally arrested."

The caller then asked the victim to send all his banking and investment details, warning him not to tell anyone about his digital arrest.

The fraudster subsequently asked the victim to transfer all his savings and invested funds, including mutual funds, fixed deposits and share market investments, to various bank accounts. The money will be returned with interest after "verification", he was told. The victim, who was scared, transferred Rs 9 crore between December 1 to 22, he told police.

After he stopped receiving calls from the so-called investigation officers, he tried contacting them, but there was no response.

At this point the victim realised that he had been duped, and contacted police on the `1930' cyber helpline.

A probe was underway, said the cyber police station official.