Mumbai Cyber Scam: Retired TIFR Officer Loses ₹1.27 Crore to Fraudsters Impersonating CBI Officer; One Arrested

The Cyber Cell of the Western Region Division has arrested one accused in a cyber fraud case in which an 85-year-old retired officer of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) was cheated by fraudsters who impersonated senior CBI officials, including officer Daya Nayak, and threatened him with arrest in a money laundering case.

The arrested accused has been identified as Parshuram Dashrath Jagtap. Following his arrest, the court remanded him to police custody. Police investigations have revealed that Jagtap allegedly provided his bank account details to the cyber fraud syndicate, into which the cheated money was transferred. In return, he reportedly received a fixed commission for facilitating the fraud.

According to the complaint, the 85-year-old victim resides in the Juhu–Versova Link Road area of Andheri. He is a retired employee of TIFR, Colaba, and survives on his pension. On October 30, while he was at home, he received a phone call from a person who identified himself as Sandeep Rao, claiming to be an officer from Ashok Nagar Police Station in Bengaluru. The caller stated that a man named Sadkat Khan had been arrested in a money laundering case and that the victim’s bank ATM passbook had been recovered from him. The caller further alleged that transactions worth ₹75 lakh had been carried out in the victim’s name and that he would be questioned in connection with the case.

The caller told the elderly man that the case was being jointly investigated by the Delhi Police and the CBI and claimed there was direct evidence linking him to the offence. He further threatened that the victim could be arrested at any time, his family could be attacked, and his son could lose his job, thereby creating panic and fear. The fraudster instructed him not to share any information with anyone in the interest of confidentiality and national security and to cooperate with the investigation alone from a closed room. He was also told that the investigation would be conducted by CBI officer Daya Nayak.

Subsequently, another person posing as Daya Nayak contacted the victim and claimed to be a CBI officer. During a video call, the impostor showed him a fake FIR and an arrest warrant purportedly issued against him.

Terrified by these developments, the elderly man was threatened that all his bank accounts would be frozen. The fraudsters assured him that due to his age he would not be arrested immediately, but warned that strict action would be taken if he failed to cooperate or follow their instructions. To make the scam appear genuine, they sent him various forged government documents. During this period, another caller identifying himself as Vinay Sharma informed the victim that 17 cases had been registered against his mobile number for sending unauthorised advertisements.

Under the guise of investigation, the fraudsters extracted details of his bank accounts and instructed him to prematurely break all his fixed deposits and transfer the funds to a bank account provided by them. They claimed that, as per Supreme Court orders, his accounts were under scrutiny and all funds needed to be transferred for verification.

Out of fear of arrest, between December 2 and December 10, 2025, the victim transferred a total amount of ₹1.27 crore to the said bank account. He was assured that the money would be returned once the investigation was completed. However, no further communication was received, nor was the money returned. When the victim attempted to contact the so-called officials, there was no response.

The victim later shared the incident with a friend, who informed him that he had been cheated and advised him to approach the police. Subsequently, the elderly man lodged a complaint with the cyber helpline and the Western Regional Division Cyber Cell. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case for impersonation, cheating and offences under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.

During the investigation, cyber police traced the bank account into which the money had been transferred and identified the account holder as Parshuram Jagtap. He was taken into custody, and further interrogation revealed his involvement in the fraud. Following this, police formally arrested him, and further investigation into the cyber fraud racket is underway.