Mumbai: Man Loses ₹27.36 Lakh to Cyber Fraud Posing as Dubai Police Officers

A serious case of cyber fraud has come to light in Mumbai, where fraudsters posing as officers of the Dubai Police and government agencies cheated a man of ₹27.36 lakh. Following a complaint lodged by the victim’s family, the police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.

The complainant, Padmakar Nandekar (60), a resident of Cuffe Parade, Mumbai, is associated with the film production and advertising business. He informed the police that his younger brother, Nitin Krishnarao Nandekar (50), had travelled to Dubai for work. Nitin carries out financial transactions in India through his NRO and NRE Bank accounts.

According to the complaint, on November 8, 2025, at around 1.30 pm, Nitin received a video call on his mobile phone from an international number. The caller introduced himself as a UAE law enforcement officer, claiming to be associated with the Dubai Police. To gain Nitin’s trust, the accused sent images of fake identity cards of the Dubai Police and Indian police via WhatsApp.

The caller claimed to have details of Nitin’s Aadhaar card, PAN card, bank accounts and credit cards, and stated that Indian and Dubai agencies were jointly investigating his bank transactions. On this pretext, Nitin was instructed not to step out of his room and was asked to share OTPs for verification of his bank accounts.

As soon as the OTPs were shared, the fraudsters withdrew money in multiple transactions from Nitin’s HSBC Bank NRO and NRE accounts, as well as his Master credit card. A total amount of ₹27,36,123.94 was transferred to various unknown accounts.

By the time Nitin received alerts of the debits and raised objections, the accused had already gone incommunicado. Attempts to contact them on the provided mobile numbers and email IDs proved futile. After learning about the incident, the family lodged a complaint on the cyber crime portal.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case and are conducting further investigations into the matter.