Mumbai Cyber Fraud: Retired Officer in Andheri Duped of Rs 1.57 Crore in ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam; Rickshaw Driver Arrested

A 69-year-old retired senior officer of a private company was duped of Rs 1.57 crore after being threatened with a so-called “digital arrest” in a sophisticated cyber fraud case.The accused set a fake “courtroom” via video call, presenting it as the court of Justice B.S. Gavai. The Cyber Cell of the West Region has arrested a rickshaw driver, identified as Ashok Pal, for allegedly providing his bank account to the fraudsters to route the cheated money.

The complainant, a resident of DN Nagar in Andheri, had retired from a reputed company at a senior management position. The incident began on December 6, 2025, when he received a call from a person identifying himself as Sanjay Kumar Gupta, who claimed to be a telecom official. The caller alleged that obscene MMS messages were being circulated from the complainant’s mobile number and that an extortion case had been registered against him at the Bandra Crime Branch.

To intimidate the victim, the fraudsters created an elaborate web of deception. The call was allegedly transferred to a fake police officer named Pradeep Sawant, who summoned the complainant to the BKC police office for questioning. He was further threatened with allegations of involvement in a money laundering case linked to businessman Naresh Goyal, with claims that illegal funds had been transferred to his bank account and that a senior officer named Vijay Khanna was probing the matter.

The accused then staged a fake “courtroom” via video call, presenting it as the court of Justice B.S. Gavai. Under the pretext of a court order, the complainant was told that until the investigation was completed, he must transfer all his funds—including mutual funds, fixed deposits, and salary savings—into accounts specified by the “police.” He was also threatened with immediate arrest if he failed to comply.

Fearing arrest, the victim transferred a total of Rs 1.57 crore between December 8, 2025, and January 3, 2026, in multiple transactions to the accounts provided by the fraudsters.

When the calls from the accused suddenly stopped after the transfers, the victim grew suspicious. After discussing the matter with family and acquaintances, he approached the Cyber Cell and lodged a complaint. During the investigation, police traced the bank accounts where the money had been transferred.

It was found that a significant portion of the defrauded amount had been routed through the bank account of Ashok Pal. During interrogation, Pal admitted that he had allowed cyber criminals to use his account in exchange for commission. He was subsequently arrested and produced before a court, which remanded him to police custody. Police are now on the lookout for other members of the cyber fraud syndicate.