An 85-year-old South Mumbai resident was cheated out of Rs9 crore in a sophisticated cyber fraud in which scammers impersonated police and investigative agencies, placing him under what they described as a “digital arrest.” The elderly man was on the verge of transferring an additional Rs3 crore when a bank manager’s timely intervention prevented further losses.
The victim, a retired college head of department residing in Thakurdwar, Girgaum, lives with his elder daughter, while his younger daughter is based in the United States.
According to South Cyber Police, the fraud began on November 28 when the senior citizen received a call from a person claiming to be a police officer from Nashik’s Panchavati police station. The caller falsely alleged that funds linked to a former Popular Front of India (PFI) chairman had been routed through the victim’s bank account, leading to the registration of a criminal case against him.
The fraudsters escalated the pressure by claiming the case was under investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They warned the victim that non-cooperation could result in arrest, adding that under the so-called “Digital India system,” suspects were now monitored online instead of being physically detained.
To reinforce the deception, the scammers placed the man under constant digital surveillance, sent forged letters purportedly from the Reserve Bank of India, issued fake account-freeze notices, and even shared a counterfeit arrest warrant. A video call featuring a man dressed in a police uniform further intimidated the victim.
The accused instructed him not to disclose the “digital arrest” to anyone and extracted sensitive details about his family, bank accounts, investments, mutual funds, and shareholdings. One fraudster, identifying himself as police officer Deepak Sharma, allegedly remained in near-constant contact, sometimes speaking with the victim for several hours daily.
Under sustained pressure, the elderly man was persuaded to liquidate his investments and transfer funds for “verification,” with assurances that the money would be returned once the inquiry concluded. Trusting the claims, he transferred approximately Rs9 crore through RTGS transactions.
The scam came to light when the victim attempted to transfer another Rs3 crore at the Bank of India’s Girgaum branch. Alerted by the unusually large transactions, the branch manager halted the transfer and insisted on contacting the man’s family.
Once informed, the victim’s daughters and relatives immediately contacted the national cybercrime helpline (1930). The South Cyber Cell subsequently registered a case against unknown persons under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including cheating, impersonation, extortion, forgery, and impersonating a public servant.
During the investigation, police arrested Sangram Babar (27), a resident of Satara. Authorities revealed that Babar had set up a fake company through which nearly Rs3 crore of the defrauded funds were routed. He is allegedly linked to at least two other cyber fraud cases and is believed to have received close to Rs4.5 crore in total, with seven online complaints registered against him.
