82-Year-Old Pune Man Loses Rs 10.7 Crore In ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam Staged By Fake Judge and Phoney Court

Pune: An 82-year-old retired businessman from Pune was cheated of Rs 10.7 crore after cyber fraudsters staged a fake online court hearing and posed as senior government officials,  in what is being described as one of Maharashtra’s biggest “digital arrest” scams.

According to the police, the fraud took place between January 23 and 31, when the victim, who earlier ran a food processing machinery assembly unit, was trapped by a group of cyber criminals impersonating officers from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), CBI, and the judiciary.

The fraud began when a caller claiming to be from TRAI informed the elderly man that his phone number had been linked to a criminal case. He was then told that a bank account connected to the number was allegedly involved in the ‘Naresh Goyal case’, falsely using the name of the Jet Airways founder to make the threat appear legitimate.

Later, another fraudster, posing as a CBI officer, forced the complainant to write an affidavit admitting his “involvement” and instructed him to attend an online court hearing. The cyber gang created a fake courtroom setting on video call, complete with a phoney judge and prosecutor, who warned the victim of a prison term of over seven years and told him to keep the matter confidential.

To further intimidate him, the fake judge claimed that due to his age, a “government-appointed lawyer” would assist him, but he would have to stay connected on video call round-the-clock. The fraudsters then convinced him to reveal details of his bank accounts, deposits, and savings.

Between January 23 and 30, the victim was persuaded to transfer his funds in seven transactions to so-called “Reserve Bank of India accounts” for “verification”. These accounts were later found to be mule accounts controlled by the scammers.

The victim was assured that the money would be returned after verification. However, when he shared the incident with his daughter, she immediately recognised it as a scam. The family approached the cybercrime police, and an FIR has been registered based on his statement.

Police officials said such crimes continue despite repeated awareness campaigns. An official said that these frauds involve criminals impersonating officials from agencies such as the police, CBI, RBI, Narcotics Department, Enforcement Directorate, and even judges to extort money through fear and intimidation.

Authorities have once again urged citizens, especially senior citizens, to remain alert and never transfer money or share personal details based on threats received over phone or video calls.