The Maharashtra State Cyber Department has uncovered the largest-ever ‘digital arrest’ fraud in India, involving Rs 58.13 crore, and arrested seven people in connection with the case.

The office of the additional director general of police, Maharashtra Cyber, serves as the nodal agency for cybersecurity and cybercrime enforcement in the state. Digital arrest frauds, in which organised syndicates impersonate government or law enforcement officials to extort large sums from citizens, have been increasingly prevalent in recent months, with fraudsters mostly targeting senior citizens and duping them of substantial amounts of money.

In the latest case, a 72-year-old senior citizen from Mumbai was duped over a 40-day period. The man received a call from an international number, with the caller posing as a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) officer, alleging misuse of the victim’s mobile number. The call was then transferred to another individual claiming to be from the Mumbai Crime Branch, who falsely alleged that the victim’s bank accounts were being used for money laundering.

Under the pretext of avoiding a “digital arrest,” the victim was instructed to transfer funds to a designated account, which would be supposedly refunded after a verification process. To make the scam credible, the accused staged fake police and court proceedings over video calls, with accomplices impersonating police officials and judges. Believing the proceedings were genuine, the victim transferred a total of ₹58.13 crore, losing his life savings.

Maharashtra Cyber launched a comprehensive investigation, tracing both technical and financial leads. Analysis of call records, IP addresses, and other technical data revealed the calls originated from foreign IPs routed through VPNs and TOR networks, showing the use of advanced anonymisation techniques.

Financial forensics uncovered a sophisticated network of over 6,500 money mule accounts across 13 layers, mainly current accounts under shell company names, designed to facilitate high-value transactions. Investigators successfully traced end beneficiaries of several accounts, leading to the arrests of seven accused:

Sheikh Shahid Abdul Salam, 19

Jafar Akbar Sayyed, 33

Abdul Nasir Abdul Karim Khulli, 51

Arjun Fojiram Kadwasara, 52

Jetharam Rahinga Kadwasara, 35

Imran Ismail Sheikh, 22

Mohammed Naved Sheikh, 26

So far, ₹3.5 crore of the defrauded funds has been frozen and lien-marked.

Investigations are underway to identify the mastermind behind the operation, and the role of the victim’s bank branch manager is also under scrutiny for potential negligence or complicity.

Maharashtra Cyber has urged citizens to remain vigilant, cautioning against calls from individuals impersonating government or law enforcement officials.

Citizens have been advised not to transfer money under threats of digital arrest and to immediately report suspicious calls on 1930 or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: www.cybercrime.gov.in.

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