The North Cyber Police have arrested two men from Vasai in connection with a digital arrest cyber fraud case in which a 67-year-old retired woman from Malad was allegedly cheated of ₹41.5 lakh after being subjected to weeks of intimidation and deception.
Police identified the accused as Ratan Kanaram, 24, and Ramesh Ghewaram Mall, 35. Investigators alleged that both men had opened private company accounts in their own names and handed them over to cyber fraud operators for use in fraudulent transactions. The arrests followed a complaint lodged by the retired employee of a semi-government organisation with the Cyber Police on May 5.
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Fraudsters Claimed Woman Was Linked to Money Laundering
According to the complaint, the woman received a WhatsApp call on April 8 from an unknown international number. The caller allegedly informed her that a money laundering case had been registered against her.
She was subsequently connected to a video call in which a man dressed in a police uniform allegedly claimed that an ICICI Bank account containing ₹2.5 crore had been opened in her name and linked to illegal activities. The claims were used to convince her that she was under investigation.
Funds Transferred Over Several Weeks
Police said the woman and her husband were persuaded to close fixed deposits and transfer money from multiple bank accounts into accounts provided by the fraudsters between April 9 and April 23.
Investigators alleged that the accused and their associates shared fabricated bank statements and forged-looking government documents to make the claims appear legitimate. The victim told police that she and her husband were instructed not to discuss the matter with anyone and were warned that disclosing details of the purported investigation could put their safety at risk.
Cyber Police Trace Accounts Used in Fraud
The alleged fraud continued through repeated WhatsApp video calls until April 26. The woman later spoke to a relative, who suspected that she had become the target of a cyber fraud scheme.
The subsequent investigation led police to two men from Vasai. Authorities said the accused had allegedly supplied bank accounts that were used by cyber fraud operators to route proceeds of the crime.
The case remains under investigation as police continue efforts to identify others involved in the operation and trace the movement of the defrauded funds.
