Digital arrest: Man held hostage online for 25 days, defrauded of Rs 1.57 cr

A 69yearold retired officer from the DN Nagar area of Andheri in Mumbai was subjected to a socalled ldquodigital arrestrdquo for 25 days and defrauded of Rs 157 crore by cyber criminals impersonating police and court officials reported the IANSThe accused even staged a fabricated court hearing over a video call invoking the name of a former Chief Justice of India to intimidate the victim and lend credibility to their claimsAccording to the Mumbai Police prompt action on the complaint led to the arrest of an autorickshaw driver Ashok Pal who allegedly played a key role in facilitating the fraud Investigators revealed that Pal permitted the fraudsters to use his bank account to channel the stolen funds in return for a commission according to the PTIFraud began with impersonation callPolice stated that the incident commenced on December 6 2025 when the victim received a telephone call from an individual claiming to be a Department of Telecommunications DoT official named Sanjay Kumar Gupta The caller alleged that objectionable MMS messages were being circulated from the victimrsquos mobile number and that a criminal case had been registered against him at the Bandra Crime Branch as per the IANSThe call was subsequently transferred to another person posing as a police officer identified as Pradeep Sawant who instructed the victim to present himself at a police office in the BandraKurla ComplexFalse money laundering allegations usedThe fraudsters escalated the deception by accusing the victim of involvement in a money laundering case falsely linking him to businessman Naresh Goyal They also cited an alleged investigation by an officer named Vijay Khanna to heighten the urgency and psychological pressure on the victim the news agency reportedIn order to reinforce the illusion of legitimacy the accused orchestrated a mock courtroom environment via video call presenting it as official proceedings overseen by the former CJI The victim was threatened with immediate arrest and legal consequences should he fail to comply with their instructionsUnder severe psychological distress the victim was instructed to transfer all his financial holdingsmdashincluding fixed deposits mutual funds and savingsmdashinto designated bank accounts under the pretext of ldquoverificationrdquo for the ongoing investigation Fearing arrest he complied and transferred Rs 157 crore in multiple transactions between December 8 2025 and January 3 2026 as per the IANSThe deception came to light when communication from the fraudsters abruptly stopped after the transfers were completed raising suspicion Upon consulting family members and acquaintances the victim approached the Cyber Cell and formally reported the incidentMoney trail leads to arrestDuring the course of the investigation police traced the flow of funds and discovered that a substantial portion had been routed through Ashok Palrsquos bank account Upon questioning he admitted to allowing cybercriminals to use his account in exchange for monetary gain Authorities have since taken Pal into custody while efforts continue to identify and apprehend other members of the organised fraud network reported the IANSPublic advisory by policeMumbai Police has issued a public advisory urging citizens to remain vigilant against such scams Officials stressed that no legitimate government authority or law enforcement agency ever requests money transfers over phone calls or video conferencing platforms They clarified that terms such as ldquodigital arrestrdquo or ldquoonline court proceedingsrdquo in such contexts are entirely fraudulentCitizens have been advised not to panic upon receiving suspicious calls and to verify claims through official channels In the event of suspected cyber fraud individuals should promptly report the matter to the national cybercrime helpline by dialling 1930with IANS inputs