Mumbai Cyber Fraud: 68-Year-Old Retired Woman Duped Of ₹7.21 Crore In ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam; FIR Registered

Mumbai, August 26, 2026: A 68-year-old retired woman from Dhobi Talao was allegedly duped of Rs 7.21 crore by cyber fraudsters who posed as officials of the National Data Protection Board, police and other central agencies and kept her under a prolonged “digital arrest”. An FIR has been registered in South cyber police station.

According to the FIR, the victim, who had retired from Trail Blazer Tours India Pvt Ltd in 2024, earns her livelihood from investments in fixed deposits, mutual funds and shares.

The victim stated that on April 8, she received a phone call from a person using mobile number +91 7417841687, who introduced himself as Rajkumar Das and claimed to be calling from the “National Data Protection Board of India”.

The caller allegedly told her that a mobile number registered in her name had been obtained from Nashik and was linked to a money-laundering case involving 249 bank accounts and debit cards.

He further claimed that one of the accounts was in the victim's name and that funds had allegedly been transferred to terrorists and the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

The fraudster warned the victim not to disclose details of the investigation to anyone. He also allegedly sent a Canara Bank debit card bearing the victim's name, convincing her that the caller was a genuine official.

Later the same day, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from another number. The caller allegedly introduced himself as ACP John Matthew from Panchavati Police Station, Nashik, and questioned her about her bank accounts, investments and financial transactions.

Fake Court, RBI And ED Documents

The fraudsters allegedly told the victim that her name had appeared in a serious criminal investigation and that her bank accounts had to be verified.

They allegedly sent her purported notices and orders in the name of courts, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other government agencies. Believing the claims to be genuine, the victim shared details of her bank accounts and investments with the accused.

The fraudsters then allegedly provided her with several bank account numbers and instructed her to transfer money to prove that her funds were legitimate.

According to the complaint, the victim broke her fixed deposits, mutual funds and savings and transferred money through RTGS. The fraudsters allegedly continued to demand money and subsequently instructed her to use cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency Transfers

The accused allegedly directed the victim to create a Binance account and purchase USDT through P2P transactions. She was then instructed to transfer the cryptocurrency to a wallet allegedly controlled by the fraudsters.

According to the complaint, between June 27 and August 2, the victim transferred cryptocurrency worth approximately Rs 1.55 crore. Between August 3 and August 11, she allegedly transferred another Rs 61.40 lakh.

The total amount transferred through these transactions was approximately Rs 2.06 crore. After repeatedly transferring money as instructed, the victim became suspicious and searched online for information about the alleged investigation. She subsequently realised that she had fallen victim to a cyber fraud.

Complaint Lodged With Police

She contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 on August 13, and registered a complaint. The victim has provided police with copies of the chats, bank transaction details and other digital evidence.

According to the complaint, between April 8 and August 13, 2026, the accused allegedly posed as officials from the Data Protection Unit, Nashik Police, NIA and other government agencies, threatened the victim with arrest and kept her under continuous “digital arrest”.

The fraudsters allegedly told her that her bank accounts were linked to a money-laundering case and that her funds had to be transferred for verification.

Under these threats and instructions, the victim was allegedly forced to transfer a total of Rs 7,21,24,051 to various bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets.

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A complaint has been lodged against the holders of the mobile numbers used in the fraud as well as the account holders whose bank accounts allegedly received the defrauded money. Police are conducting further investigation into the money trail and the identities of the fraudsters.

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