Cyber frauds rise despite Rs 1.2 crore recovery till May 2025

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Even as cybercrime units in the city and rural areas have collectively recovered over Rs 1.2 crore till May this year, the scale of cyber fraud continues to surge at an alarming rate. According to cyber officials, Rs 61 lakh has been recovered by the city police, while over Rs 60 lakh has been secured by rural units. However, the recovered amount represents only a small fraction of the total losses, as cyber frauds worth Rs 2.2 crore were reported in the city alone during the first three months of 2025.

“We have already surpassed last year’s recovery figures and aim to cross Rs 1.5 crore by the end of this year,” said PI Shivcharan Pandhare city cyber police station, emphasizing the need for quicker reporting by victims to ensure timely intervention.

Major recoveries in recent cases

1. Rs 11.2 lakh recovered in high-profile digital arrest scam

On December 19, Prashant Sonone (52), Assistant Superintending Archaeologist (Aurangabad Circle), fell victim to a sophisticated impersonation scam. Fraudsters posing as enforcement officials duped him of Rs 12 lakh, linking the case falsely to the Jet Airways money laundering case. He was threatened with legal action and coerced into a so-called “digital arrest” over three days. The incident was reported at Begumpura Police Station, and Rs 11.2 lakh was later recovered and returned to the victim by the Cyber Police.

2. Corporate cyber fraud of Rs 5 lakh fully recovered

In another incident, a hacker intercepted email communication between a company and its advertising agency, altered bank details in a payment message, and diverted Rs 5 lakh to a fraudulent account. Thanks to the company’s prompt complaint, the City Cyber Police swiftly acted and ensured full recovery of the amount. Officials confirmed that the case involved a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack targeting financial transactions.