Mumbai’s Central Region Cyber Police have uncovered a major “digital arrest” scam, in which cyber criminals extorted ₹15 lakh from a victim by threatening to implicate him in a money laundering case allegedly linked to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parkar and former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik.
According to Police, the prime accused, identified as Vikas Chavan (28), a resident of Sangli, has been arrested. Multiple cyber fraud cases are already registered against him in Mumbai and Rajasthan. Police teams are now conducting raids to trace his associates.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Purushottam Karad said that between April 14 and 16, an unknown caller contacted the complainant, posing as an officer from the Delhi Police Headquarters. The caller claimed that a fraudulent transaction had taken place through the complainant’s bank account.
Later, during a WhatsApp video call, the scammers introduced themselves as DSP Bhupesh Kumar and SP Gopesh Kumar, showing fake IDs and official-looking documents. They falsely told the victim that a criminal case had been registered against him.
The fraudsters sent forged CBI letterheads, fake arrest warrants, and other fabricated documents, and under the pretext of “fund verification,” coerced the victim into transferring ₹15 lakh to a specified bank account.
Police said the entire operation was executed using computers and mobile devices, with cyber criminals misusing the names of reputed institutions like Delhi Police and the CBI to make the scam appear legitimate.
When the victim grew suspicious, he reached out to the Cyber Police, following which a formal complaint was lodged and the investigation was launched.