Pune GM Duped of Rs 53 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam; Two Held from Ahilyanagar

Pimpri Chinchwad, 9th June 2025: A 47-year-old general manager of a reputed automobile firm, residing in Moshi, fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud known as a “digital arrest” scam, losing a staggering ₹53 lakh to conmen who posed as law enforcement officials.

The fraudulent activity took place over a span of 10 days, between April 2 and April 11. A formal complaint was lodged on Saturday with the Pimpri Chinchwad Cybercrime Cell, which has since detained two individuals from Ahilyanagar for allegedly operating mule bank accounts used in the scam.

According to Assistant Inspector Pravin Swami, the victim received a message via a mobile application on April 2, which included a fake letter claiming his bank account was involved in a money laundering case. “The letter alleged that a legal case had been filed against him and threatened arrest,” Swami explained.

In a state of panic, the general manager contacted the number mentioned in the message. A person claiming to be from the Mumbai Crime Branch answered the call, asserting that the victim’s financial activities were under scrutiny.

“The caller told him that a verification process was necessary to avoid arrest. The victim was then asked about his bank accounts and expressed willingness to cooperate,” the officer said.

The fraudsters took the scheme further by making a video call and introducing another imposter, who claimed to be from the Reserve Bank of India’s finance department. “During the video interaction, the scammers convinced him that he needed to transfer funds for ‘verification’ purposes,” Swami added.

Misled into believing the scenario was real, the man transferred ₹53 lakh in multiple transactions to three different bank accounts, allegedly belonging to the RBI.

Senior Inspector Ravikiran Nale, who is supervising the investigation, confirmed that two suspects who held the bank accounts used in the fraud have been taken into custody. The police are now tracing the remaining members of the gang and have initiated procedures to freeze the involved bank accounts.

Officials have urged the public to remain cautious and not respond to such suspicious communications. “No government agency asks for money transfers or account verifications via phone calls or chat apps,” Swami warned.