Pune Woman Loses ₹51 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Cyber Fraud

A 57-year-old woman from Kothrud was cheated of ₹51 lakh by cyber fraudsters who pretended to be police officers and accused her of being involved in a money laundering case.

According to the complaint filed with the Pune Cybercrime Police, the woman received a phone call on September 25 from an unknown person claiming to be a police official. The caller told her that she had shared photos of weapons during the Pahalgam terror attack and could face legal action.

The fraudsters then said her bank account was being investigated for money laundering and asked her to transfer her money to another “safe” account for verification. They assured her that the money would be returned once the check was complete.

Believing the fake story, the woman transferred ₹51 lakh to the account number given by the scammers. Later, when she tried to contact them, their phone numbers were found switched off.

Senior Police Inspector Swapnali Shinde of the Pune Cybercrime Police said, “This is a typical case of a ‘digital arrest’ scam, where criminals pose as law enforcement officials to frighten people and extort money. The woman was not involved in any crime or illegal activity.”

Police have registered a case under Sections 308 (extortion), 318 (cheating), and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act. An investigation is underway to trace the money trail and identify the culprits.