Navi Mumbai Digital Arrest Scam: Cyber Criminals Dupe An 80-Year-Old Of ₹4.38 Crore Using Forged FIRs, RBI Letters, ED Notices, Later Credit ₹1 Crore, Here’s Why

An 80-year-old man from Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, lost ₹4.38 crore in a “digital arrest” scam, and in a strange twist, the scammers even put ₹1.02 crore back into his account partway through.

Digital Arrest Scam: Navi Mumbai Senior Citizen Loses ₹4.38 Crore

It all started on November 18. He got a call from someone claiming to work for “Cyber Data Protection of India.” The caller said someone had used his Aadhaar card to get a mobile number illegally, and supposedly, there was already a police case filed against him in Nashik.

This was just the beginning. After that first call, more people called, pretending to be from different investigation agencies—Nashik police, the crime branch, even central agencies.

They told him his Aadhaar details had been used by a terrorist to open a bank account for money laundering. They said there was an arrest warrant out for him, but because of his age, they were holding off for now.

How Cyber Criminals Targeted a Navi Mumbai Retiree

To make it all seem real, the scammers sent him fake FIRs, RBI letters, Enforcement Directorate notices, and even what looked like Supreme Court documents, all via WhatsApp. Everything looked official. They also made him join a video call and told him not to talk to anyone about it. They said it was a matter of national security.

By that point, the retired director from Jaipur was completely panicked. The scammers told him to withdraw all his savings and investments, then transfer the money to “RBI verification accounts.” Thinking he was in serious trouble, he did exactly as they said.

WhatsApp FIRs, Fake Supreme Court Notices

Then, on November 24, something unusual happened. ₹1.02 crore showed up in his account. The scammers told him to send details of that transaction and move the money to other accounts.

According to a senior cyber police officer, this money wasn’t his. It was stolen from other cyber fraud victims his account was just being used as a “mule” to move the money around.

He made several transfers to various accounts between November 26, 2025, and January 9, 2026, convinced he was following official procedures. The scam finally came to light when the Bank of Maharashtra froze his account after Nagpur City Cyber Police flagged suspicious activity linked to cybercrime.

Once he realized what happened, he went to the authorities and filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal on January 10, then gave his statement at the local Cyber Police Station. Police confirmed he lost a total of ₹4,38,62,210.

Now, there’s a case against unknown people for impersonation, cheating, forgery, and IT Act violations. Police are tracing the bank accounts, phone numbers, and IP addresses involved.

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