A 70-year-old woman doctor from Mumbai became the victim of a high-profile digital detention scam and lost nearly ₹2.89 crore after cyber fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials manipulated her into transferring all her savings under the pretext of a money laundering investigation.
According to cyber police, the incident took place on 28 May when the complainant received a call from a person who identified himself as Amit Kumar, claiming to be an official from the Department of Telecommunications. The caller informed her that a new SIM card had been fraudulently issued using her Aadhaar credentials, and an FIR had been registered against the user.
Soon after, the woman received a WhatsApp message allegedly from the "Cyber Crime Department, Mumbai", seeking her identity details. After she shared her name and address, she received a WhatsApp video call from the same number. This time, the caller introduced himself as IPS officer Samadhan Pawar from the Mumbai Crime Branch.
In a dramatic turn, the call reportedly continued for almost 14 hours, during which the fraudster accused the woman of being involved in a money laundering case related to businessman Naresh Goyal. He claimed that during a raid, officials had discovered a bank account and debit card in her name at Goyal’s residence.
Despite her denials, the caller issued repeated threats, saying that even if ₹1 of proceeds from crime had entered her bank account, she could face up to three years in jail. To build credibility, he sent her several fake documents — bearing logos of the High Court, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) — which appeared to implicate her in the case.
Terrified and convinced that the documents were genuine, the woman followed the instructions and began transferring her funds into bank accounts provided by the fraudster, supposedly for "investigation purposes." Over the next seven to eight days, she transferred a total of ₹2.89 crore.
It was only when her husband casually mentioned the incident to a relative that the possibility of fraud came to light. The family then immediately approached the cyber police and filed an FIR.
The police have initiated a probe into the matter and are trying to trace the accused. Officials said that the case is part of a rising trend of digital scams where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officers and government officials to extort money from unsuspecting citizens, particularly senior citizens.