Senior Citizens Lose Rs 100 Crore in 136 Digital Arrest Scams in Pune in 19 Months

Pune, 21st September 2026: Senior citizens in the city have lost more than Rs 100 crore in 136 digital arrest scams reported over the past 19 months, according to Pune cyber police data.

Police registered 85 cases in 2025, with senior citizens losing Rs 53.52 crore. In the first seven months of 2026, another 51 cases were registered, involving losses of Rs 46.27 crore.

Although the number of cases has fallen this year, the amount lost in individual cases remains high. In February, an 82-year-old Bhandarkar Road resident lost Rs 10.75 crore after fraudsters kept him under “digital arrest” for several days. The victim, who had settled in Pune around 15 years ago, lost his savings and fixed deposits.

In May, an 87-year-old retired executive was allegedly cheated of Rs 3.46 crore after fraudsters posing as CBI officers threatened to arrest him in a fake money-laundering case.

In another case, a 74-year-old retired teacher and her husband were allegedly cheated of Rs 68.8 lakh between July and September after fraudsters impersonating senior police officers kept them under a month-long “digital arrest”.

Fraudsters typically pose as police, CBI, RBI, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) or other central agency officials. They use fake documents, video calls and threats of arrest to intimidate victims before forcing them to transfer money to mule bank accounts on the pretext of settling a case.

The fraudsters often appear in police uniforms during video calls, with backgrounds designed to resemble police stations or government offices. Victims have been threatened with arrest in fabricated cases involving money laundering, terror funding, fake SIM cards, child pornography and threatening or obscene calls.

Police have been conducting awareness programmes through senior citizens’ organisations and housing societies and distributing pamphlets to educate elderly residents about such scams.

Police have also reiterated that there is no provision for “digital arrest” under Indian law. Agencies do not arrest people through video calls or ask them to transfer money to settle cases.