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78-year-old Mulund man duped of Rs 1.16 cr in digital arrest scam

Fearing legal action, the senior citizen transferred his savings over two months into multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudster. Police said he even sold his flat and paid the proceeds. The fraud came to light when the accused demanded more money and later blocked him.

digital arrest scam, digital arrest fraud, digital arrest, Cyber Police, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, IT Act, Mumbai news, Maharashtra news, Indian express, current affairsA case has been registered against five unidentified persons under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act. Police are tracing the beneficiary accounts.
2 min readMumbaiFeb 27, 2026 12:24 AM IST First published on: Feb 27, 2026 at 12:24 AM IST

A 78-year-old retired director of a chemical company from Mulund was allegedly duped of Rs 1.16 crore in a “digital arrest” scam after fraudsters posing as CBI officers threatened him with arrest in a fake money laundering case.

According to the East Cyber Police, the elderly man received a WhatsApp call on December 26, 2025, from a person claiming to be a CBI officer probing a Rs 2 crore money laundering case allegedly linked to an account opened in his name. The caller warned him of imminent arrest and asked him to deposit funds as “security” while keeping the matter confidential.

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Fearing legal action, the senior citizen transferred his savings over two months into multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudster. Police said he even sold his flat and paid the proceeds. The fraud came to light when the accused demanded more money and later blocked him.

Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai... Read More

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