Navi Mumbai Crime: Vashi Labour Leader Loses ₹20.50 Lakh In Digital Arrest Scam; Fraudsters Use Fake Supreme Court Letter

Navi Mumbai, November 7, 2026: A 68-year-old labour leader and social activist from Vashi was allegedly cheated of Rs 20.50 lakh by cyber fraudsters who placed him under a fake 'digital arrest', threatened to implicate him in money laundering and terror funding cases, and forced him to mortgage his family's jewellery to arrange the money.

The fraudsters allegedly posed as government officials and used forged Supreme Court documents to convince the victim that he was under investigation.

The Vashi police have registered a case against unidentified persons under the Information Technology Act and are investigating the money trail to identify the accused.

Police Warn Against Digital Arrest Scams

"Cybercriminals create fear by impersonating government and law enforcement officials and threaten victims with arrest and imprisonment. Citizens should not transfer money or share financial details in response to such calls. They should immediately report such incidents to the cybercrime helpline 1930," a police officer said.

Fraudsters Use Fake Supreme Court Letter

According to the complaint, the fraud began in September when the victim received a call from a person identifying himself as Manoj Patel, a senior executive officer with the Data Protection Board of India in Nashik.

The caller claimed that a Canara Bank account opened in the victim's name had received Rs 20 lakh and that the transaction was linked to a money laundering and terror funding case involving O.M. Abdul Salam.

The fraudster told him that the amount would have to be deposited with the Reserve Bank of India until the investigation was completed. To lend credibility to the claims, the accused sent him a forged Supreme Court letter purportedly bearing the signature of Barun Mitra, Secretary to the Government of India, along with a photocopy of a debit card through WhatsApp.

The victim was subsequently contacted through WhatsApp video calls by another person identifying himself as Sanjay Malhotra, a departmental coordinator, who insisted that he transfer the money immediately.

Victim Threatened With Arrest And Life Imprisonment

When the victim expressed his inability to arrange the amount, another alleged senior officer, Pradeep Jaiswal, threatened to have him arrested from his residence and warned that he could face life imprisonment if he failed to comply.

The fraudsters allegedly kept the victim under constant surveillance through video calls, with Jaiswal occasionally appearing in a police uniform. Under pressure and fearing arrest, the victim mortgaged his family's jewellery at Muthoot Finance in Vashi and raised Rs 20 lakh. He transferred the amount through RTGS to bank accounts provided by the accused. In all, he lost Rs 20.50 lakh.

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Newspaper Report Exposes The Fraud

The fraud came to light when the victim, after reading a newspaper report explaining that digital arrest was a fraudulent tactic, realised that he had been duped. He first approached the cybercrime helpline 1930 and subsequently lodged a complaint at the Vashi police station.

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