3 min readPuneApr 7, 2026 10:21 PM ISTA First Information Report was registered at Cyber crime police station of Pune by the 77-year-old resident of Kothrud area. (File photo)A 77-year-old woman from Pune lost Rs 1.6 crore in a span of seven days after she was targeted in a digital arrest fraud and coerced into taking a loan against her family heirloom of gold ornaments to continue paying fraudsters who posed as officers of Mumbai Police, National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and sent her fake letters that claimed to be from the Supreme Court and Ministry of Finance to swindle her.A First Information Report was registered at Cyber crime police station of Pune by the 77-year-old resident of Kothrud area. On March 3, she received a call from an unidentified number who introduced himself as an officer of a fictitious data protection agency. The fraudster claimed that the complainant’s identity had been stolen and transactions of Rs 200 crore were detected on accounts that had been opened using stolen identity. Minutes later, another fraudster claiming to be an officer of Colaba police station of Mumbai police said an FIR had been registered against the complainant and her name had been flagged in an anti-terror investigation.Subsequently she received a call from a fraudster posing as an NIA officer who sent her fake letters from the Supreme Court and Ministry of Finance issued in her name. Threatening her with arrest or digital arrest in the case, she was asked to take an oath of secrecy and not to speak to anyone about the “investigations” against her and sign an affidavit swearing the same.She was sent a fake arrest warrant and told her savings and deposits will have to be transferred to a “secure RBI account for verification” and will be returned to her after the probe was completed. Over the next one week, the complainant was threatened and coerced into sending large amounts. At one point, after she exhausted all her savings and deposits, she was forced to take a gold loan against her heirloom ornaments and pay Rs 60 lakh more.As the fraudsters continued to demand more and more money, she realised she had been cheated. Seeking help of a family members, the woman then approached the Cyber crime police station and an FIR was registered.Officials have repeatedly expressed concern that despite extensive awareness campaigns and sensitisation efforts by the government and law enforcement agencies, incidents of digital arrest, online extortion and blackmail continue to be reported. These scams are typically carried out by cyber criminals impersonating officials from law enforcement agencies such as the police, CBI, Narcotics Department, RBI, and Enforcement Directorate and judges.Such frauds have been serious enough to be flagged at the highest levels, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address. As previously reported by Express, these scams are orchestrated by complex, multilayered syndicates operating across borders. Victims’ money is often funneled into mule accounts and then routed to international cybercrime networks through cryptocurrency channels.Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...