Navi Mumbai, August 1, 2026: In one of the biggest digital arrest frauds reported in Navi Mumbai this year, a 90-year-old retired Central Government pensioner and his wife from Nerul were allegedly cheated of Rs 1.57 crore after cyber fraudsters held them under a fake 'digital arrest' for nearly one-and-a-half months by impersonating officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Karnataka Police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Supreme Court and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The Navi Mumbai Cyber Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the cyber gang behind the elaborate scam.
Fraudsters Posed As Officials
According to police, the ordeal began on January 12 when the elderly man received a call from a person claiming to be Ram Mohan, a Public Relations Officer with the Department of Telecommunications.
The caller alleged that the victim's mobile number had been misused in Bengaluru and instructed him to contact a woman officer from the South Bengaluru Police Station through a WhatsApp video call.
During the video call, the fraudsters allegedly sent forged notices purportedly issued by the Karnataka Police and the Supreme Court, along with other official-looking documents, to gain the victim's confidence.
They falsely claimed that his Aadhaar card had been used to obtain a fake SIM card, that an accused in a money laundering case had named him, and that his ATM card had been seized by the CBI. The gang further claimed that the investigation was being supervised by senior CBI officer Daya Nayak.
To deepen the deception, the fraudsters threatened the couple with prosecution under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and warned them not to leave their house or contact anyone, effectively placing them under a fake 'digital arrest'.
Rs 1.57 Crore Transferred
Claiming that the RBI had ordered a financial verification, the gang then directed the couple to transfer their savings into multiple bank accounts allegedly authorised by the Supreme Court. Terrified by the threats, the couple transferred Rs 1.57 crore through a series of online transactions from four different bank accounts between January 17 and February 25 this year.
After every transfer, the fraudsters allegedly sent fake English-language receipts bearing the name of the Supreme Court, stating that arrest warrants had been executed and their assets would soon be frozen, further convincing the victims that the investigation was genuine.
The fraud came to light only after the couple read about similar cases in a newspaper and realised that the promised refund never materialised and the so-called officials began giving evasive responses.
Realising they had been cheated, the couple approached the Navi Mumbai Cyber Police, who have now initiated a detailed probe into the case.
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Police Advisory
"No government agency conducts a digital arrest through phone or video calls. The Supreme Court, CBI, RBI or any police agency never asks citizens to transfer money for verification or investigation. People should immediately disconnect such calls and report them to the cyber helpline 1930 or the nearest cyber police station," a senior Navi Mumbai Cyber Police officer said.
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