In a swift crackdown, Mumbai Cyber Police arrested two men in connection with a “digital detention” scam that cost a 72-year-old woman Rs 1.26 crore. The arrests were made within 48 hours of the FIR being filed on August 28.
The woman, a resident of Mumbai’s western suburbs, fell victim to the elaborate scam between August 18 and August 26. She received a WhatsApp call from an individual claiming to be DCP Sanjay Arora. What followed was a series of video calls featuring people impersonating officials from the Delhi Police, Bombay High Court, and CBI—all in uniform.
The fraudsters falsely accused her of criminal activity and claimed an arrest warrant had been issued against her. Fearing arrest and imprisonment, the woman was coerced into transferring Rs 1.26 crore in multiple installments to various bank accounts, supposedly to “settle” the matter.
Following her complaint, a team led by DCP Purushottam Karad and Senior Inspector Suvarna Shinde of the West Region Cyber Police launched an investigation. The probe led them to Jalgaon, where 33-year-old Rohit Sonar—one of the account holders—was arrested.
Further investigation revealed that Hitesh Patil, 31, also from Jalgaon, had been providing account details like Sonar’s to cybercriminals operating from Thailand. He too was arrested, and police recovered three mobile phones used in the crime.
