Pune social media influencer held for cheating Rs 10.7 crore in digital arrest scam

The case was registered at the cyber police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. By staging a fake court hearing on camera with a fake judge presiding and running a fake prosecution over alleged links to ‘Naresh Goyal case’, cyber fraudsters duped an 82-year-old retired businessman from Pune of more than Rs 10.73 crore in one of the largest ‘digital arrest’ scams reported in Maharashtra to date. The fraudsters threatened the octogenarian with a prison sentence of over seven years.

Police said the victim made transfers to several mule bank accounts after the fraudsters allegedly threatened him with arrest and claimed that officials from investigative agencies were monitoring the case. The transactions are being examined as part of the investigation. During the investigation, police carried out a technical analysis of the transactions and identified accounts into which the cheated money had been transferred. Police said the investigation revealed the involvement of several people in the network.

Two other accused persons, identified as Shubham Dhanatole, 26, and another accused, 24, were arrested on February 22 in connection with the case. Another accused, identified as Amar Attargi, 24, was arrested on March 6. Police said they subsequently identified Jadhav as another alleged member of the network.

Police have appealed to citizens not to panic if they receive calls from people claiming to be officials of the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, police or other government agencies and threatening them with arrest. Officials do not conduct investigations or arrests through video calls in the manner used in digital arrest scams, police said.

Citizens who receive such calls can contact the cybercrime helpline 1930 or register a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. They can also approach their nearest police station. The investigation is being conducted by the Cyber Police under the supervision of senior Pune Police officials.