Mumbai Court Grants Bail To Accused In Alleged ₹47.99 Lakh 'Digital Arrest' Cyber Fraud Case

Mumbai, June 30: The Court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Dadar, has granted bail to a 50-year-old Mira Road resident, Swapnil Sitaram Chavan, who was arrested in connection with an alleged "digital arrest" cyber fraud.

According to the case, the cyber fraud, involving a Mumbai bank manager, alleges that he was duped of Rs 47.99 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Bank Manager Alleges Fraud

The case stems from an FIR registered on February 19 at the Cyber Police Station, Mid Division, Worli, on the complaint of Nilesh Devraj Patil, a 49-year-old branch manager.

According to the complaint, between January 7 and January 26, 2026, Patil received a series of WhatsApp video calls from persons claiming to be ATS and NIA officers. They allegedly intimidated him by falsely claiming he was under "digital arrest" and persuaded him to transfer a total of Rs 47.99 lakh into five different bank accounts.

Chavan was taken into custody on February 21, 2026. After completing the investigation, the police filed a chargesheet before the trial court, following which he sought regular bail.

Court Grants Bail

The prosecution told the court that investigators had traced Rs 5 lakh of the cheated amount to an IDFC Bank account held by Chavan. The money was allegedly withdrawn through a cheque, which, according to the prosecution, established his prima facie involvement in the offence.

Opposing the bail plea, the prosecution argued that the allegations involved a serious cybercrime and expressed apprehension that the accused could interfere with the prosecution's case if released.

Defence advocate Pravin Bhoj argued that Chavan had been falsely implicated. He pointed out that Chavan is a permanent resident of Mira Road in Thane district and the sole breadwinner of his family, and contended that further custody was unnecessary since the investigation had concluded and the chargesheet had already been filed.

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After considering the submissions, Judicial Magistrate First Class Nilesh N. Dhend observed that although the allegations were grave, the investigation was complete and the trial was unlikely to conclude in the near future. The court held that continued incarceration pending trial was not warranted and granted regular bail.

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