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Pune: Retired Defense Officer Duped of ₹76 Lakh in 'Digital Arrest' Scam
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News18•24-09-2026, 06:58
Pune: Retired Defense Officer Duped of ₹76 Lakh in 'Digital Arrest' Scam
- •A 68-year-old retired defense department woman in Pune was defrauded of over ₹76 lakh by cyber fraudsters using the 'digital arrest' scare.
- •The victim and her husband are both retired from the defense department.
- •Fraudsters, posing as senior police officers on WhatsApp, claimed her SIM card was linked to terrorist activities and money laundering.
- •The frightened woman was coerced into transferring ₹76,22,541 to various bank accounts online to avoid arrest and facilitate an 'investigation'.
- •Cyber Police advise that no government agency conducts 'digital arrests' via phone/video calls; report such incidents to helpline 1930.
Key Questions Answered
Cyber fraudsters targeted a 68-year-old retired defense department woman in Pune by posing as police officers on WhatsApp. They claimed her Aadhaar card was linked to terrorist activities and money laundering, trapping her in a fake 'digital arrest' and swindling her out of Rs 76,22,541.
The cyber police advise that no government agency or police force conducts 'digital arrest' via phone or video calls. If citizens receive any such fraudulent calls, they should remain calm and immediately contact the official cyber helpline number 1930.
After realizing she had been scammed out of her money, the victim immediately approached authorities and filed a formal complaint at the Pimpri-Chinchwad Cyber Police Station on Tuesday, September 22.
