A Retired Officer Was Duped Of Rs 1 57 Crore After Being Held In Digital Custody For 25 Days

A shocking case of digital arrest has come to light from Mumbai. A 69-year-old retired senior officer living in DN Nagar area of ​​Andheri was kept under ‘digital arrest’ for 25 days and defrauded of Rs 1.57 crore. The accused also conducted a fake court hearing through video call, posing as police and court officials. The name of a former Supreme Court judge was also used to intimidate the victim.

According to Mumbai Police, as soon as the complaint was received, the cyber cell took immediate action and arrested an auto-rickshaw driver named Ashok Pal. He had an important role in this racket. It is alleged that he helped in transferring the fraudulent amount using his bank account in exchange for commission.

The incident started on December 6, 2025, when the victim received a call from a person named Sanjay Kumar Gupta. He introduced himself as a Department of Telecommunications official and alleged that objectionable MMS were being sent from the victim’s mobile number. He also said that a case is registered against him in Bandra Crime Branch.

The call was then transferred to another person named Pradeep Sawant, who identified himself as a police officer and asked the victim to present himself at the police station located at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The accused accused him of being involved in money laundering. The investigation of an officer named Vijay Khanna was also cited for creating fear.

To prove their claims true, the accused created a fake court over video call and pretended that the hearing was being conducted by former Chief Justice of India B. S. It is being done under Gawai’s supervision. Also, they were threatened with arrest if they did not cooperate.

After this, the accused asked the victim to transfer all her savings like fixed deposits, mutual funds and savings account money to the bank accounts mentioned in the name of the investigation. Fearing arrest, the victim transferred a total of Rs 1.57 crore in different transactions between December 8, 2025 and January 3, 2026.

The fraud came to light when the accused stopped receiving calls after the money was transferred. After this, the victim discussed with family and acquaintances and lodged a complaint in the cyber cell.

During the investigation, when the police traced the financial transactions, it was confirmed that a huge amount was transferred from Ashok Pal’s bank account. During interrogation, he admitted to using his account in exchange for commission. The police have arrested him and the search is on for other accused of this fraud gang.

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