Mumbai: The West Region Cyber Police Cell has arrested a 35-year-old man from Raigad for allegedly impersonating a government official and duping multiple cybercrime victims by promising to recover their lost money.
The accused, identified as Anil Madhukar Darekar, posed as an employee of the national cybercrime helpline (1930) and the technical/legal team of the “14C” cyber cell.
According to DCP (Cyber) Purushottam Karad, Darekar lured victims by claiming he could help them retrieve the money they lost to online scams. He contacted them using different mobile numbers and demanded small service charges ranging from ₹5 to ₹10, which eventually totaled over ₹1 lakh from multiple victims.
The scam came to light after several individuals lodged complaints stating that Darekar contacted them, claimed to be from the cyber helpline, and even sent them a fake ID card of the Ministry of Home Affairs' Cyber Legal and Technical Department via WhatsApp to gain trust.
Following these complaints, the Cyber Cell launched a technical investigation, traced his location to Panvel in Raigad, and arrested him. Officials recovered a mobile phone, debit card, and a counterfeit ID card from the accused. Preliminary investigation revealed that Darekar accessed details.
