Pune: 72-Year-Old Man Loses Rs 27.2 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam

Pune, 29th August 2026: A 72-year-old man from Pune’s Parvati area was allegedly duped of ₹27.20 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as police and government officials and threatened to arrest him in a fabricated criminal case.

According to police, the victim, identified as Joshi (72), received a call from an unknown number on August 13. The caller introduced himself as Aman Kumar Sharma, claiming to be a senior executive with the Data Protection Board of India. He told Joshi that his Aadhaar-linked mobile number had allegedly been used to make obscene calls to minor girls and send them pornographic videos. The caller further claimed that 22 complaints had been registered against him with the Nashik Cyber Cell.

The fraudsters subsequently contacted Joshi through a WhatsApp video call, using the name of the Nashik Police Department. One of the accused appeared in a police uniform, while another identified himself as Sanjay Pise, claiming to be a police inspector with the Nashik Cyber Cell.

The accused then told Joshi that a Canara Bank account in his name had allegedly been used to transfer money to terrorist organisations. To convince him that he was involved in a serious crime, they sent him fake documents purportedly issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), an alleged arrest warrant and photographs of terrorist organisations.

The fraudsters also threatened Joshi and his wife with arrest and financial penalties if they disclosed the matter to anyone. They allegedly told him that his gold could be seized and instructed him to pledge it with Muthoot Finance to prevent its confiscation.

Following their instructions, Joshi transferred ₹27.20 lakh through RTGS on August 18 to an account in the name of Padmavati Enterprises with the Bank of India. The accused later sent him a fake receipt claiming that the money had been deposited with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The fraud came to light after the accused stopped responding to Joshi’s calls from August 24. He subsequently approached the police, following which a case was registered at Parvati police station.

Police are now tracing the mobile numbers allegedly used by the accused, as well as the persons using them and the holders and users of the bank account into which the money was transferred.

Police Inspector (Crime) Anita Hivarkar is conducting the investigation.