Mumbai, November 11, 2026: A 69-year-old retired employee of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited was allegedly cheated of ₹15 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers, who threatened to arrest him in a fabricated money-laundering case.
The East Cyber Police have registered a case against two unidentified persons for allegedly threatening and intimidating the senior citizen through WhatsApp calls and forcing him to transfer ₹15 lakh into a bank account.
Fraudsters Pose As CBI Officers
According to the FIR, the 69-year-old complainant, a resident of Mulund East, retired from Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in 2018. He lives with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters. On September 27, 2026, at around 11 am, the complainant received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number.
The caller introduced himself as Sandeep Diwan, a CBI officer from Bengaluru, and alleged that a person named Sadakat Khan had opened a Canara Bank account in Gadade's name at Mulund and carried out transactions worth ₹3 crore through it.
The caller further claimed that 155 transactions had been conducted through the account and that 187 ATM cards had been recovered from Sadakat Khan, including one bearing the complainant's name. He also alleged that Khan had paid Gadade ₹30 lakh as a 10 per cent commission on the transactions.
The complainant denied the allegations and told the caller that he had only around ₹20,000 in his bank account. Subsequently, the caller allegedly sent him a copy of a purported police complaint bearing his name on WhatsApp but later deleted the message.
Threats Of Arrest And Money Laundering Case
The accused allegedly continued calling the complainant every four hours and pressuring him to arrange money, claiming that an investigation was underway.
He was warned not to inform his son about the matter, as the case allegedly involved money laundering and national security. The caller threatened that both the complainant and his son could be arrested and that their lives could be in danger.
On October 14, at around 9 am, the caller allegedly contacted the complainant again and summoned him to Sambhaji Garden in Mulund, asking him to bring his cheque book, Aadhaar card and PAN card.
At the meeting, the caller allegedly told him that if he wanted the case to be closed, he would have to immediately deposit ₹15 lakh into a bank account provided by him.
Retired Employee Transfers ₹15 Lakh
Following the instructions, the complainant visited the Bank Mulund branch and transferred ₹15 lakh through RTGS to a private bank account.
However, after receiving the money, the fraudster allegedly demanded another ₹10 lakh, claiming that the case would be closed only after the additional amount was paid.
The complainant subsequently narrated the entire incident to his son, Varun, who realised that his father had fallen victim to an online fraud. On November 2, the complainant lodged a complaint through the national cybercrime helpline 1930.
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East Cyber Police Launch Investigation
Based on his complaint, the East Cyber Police registered a case against two unidentified persons for allegedly impersonating CBI officers, threatening him with arrest and fraudulently obtaining ₹15 lakh from him.
Further investigation is underway to identify the accused and trace the money.
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