Pune, March 20: A 74-year-old woman from Erandwane fell victim to fraudsters who posed as Nashik police officers and extorted INR 2.57 crore from her over a month-long scam. The scammers accused her and her son of involvement in a fake money laundering case and kept her under ‘digital arrest’ for a week. They manipulated her into making multiple bank transfers under the pretext of settling the charges. The woman, who lives alone, only realised the fraud when the scammers demanded more money.

The fraud took place between February 15 and March 12, but the woman lodged her complaint with Pune Cyber Police on March 19, as reported by The Times of India. The scammers initially contacted her via phone, claiming to be senior inspectors from Gangapur police station in Nashik. They alleged that her biometric details had been misused in a money laundering case involving the owner of a now-defunct airline.  Digital Arrest Scam in Pune: Anesthesiologist Loses INR 70 Lakh After Fraudsters Posing As ‘Delhi CID’ Officers Link Her To Fake International Organ Trafficking Racket in Maharashtra, Case Registered.

To make their claims more convincing, the fraudsters made video calls using a messaging app, repeatedly threatening her with arrest while also offering to "settle" the charges if she paid a hefty sum. Fearing legal trouble, the woman complied with their demands and remained confined to her home for nearly a week, stepping out only to transfer funds. The scammers instructed her to make payments through RTGS and IMPS transactions to three different bank accounts. Over time, she exhausted her savings, having unknowingly fallen into their trap. Digital Arrest: Government’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre Blocks 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp Accounts To Combat Cyber Scams in India.

The fraudsters kept pressuring her for more money, leading her to reach out to relatives for financial assistance. When her relatives visited her to understand the situation, she revealed how the supposed police officers had been coercing her into paying large sums. Realizing the deception, her family urged her to report the crime, following which the Pune Cyber Police began an investigation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2025 12:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).