Mumbai: A senior citizen in the city has allegedly been defrauded of approximately Rs 64 lakh in a protracted cyber fraud operation centered on false promises of recovering funds from lapsed life insurance policies, which eventually culminated in intimidation by fraudsters posing as central enforcement officials and an ordeal involving a digital arrest. The East Region Cyber Police have launched an investigation into the complaint, which spans transactions, coercive calls, and identity theft stretching back several years.
Decade-old policy lapses exploited through false refund assurances
The complainant initially purchased four life insurance policies in September 2011 following contact from a woman, with the transaction facilitated through another intermediary. These policies eventually lapsed when he could no longer keep up with the premium payments. The fraudulent operation commenced in June 2015 when a caller identifying himself as Deepak Rathi approached the victim with an offer to revive the closed accounts and secure a return of the deposited capital. Soon afterward, another individual identifying himself as Iyer contacted the victim, claiming that Rathi had passed away and that he had assumed responsibility for the file. Operating under these assurances, the victim was repeatedly instructed to transfer funds into multiple third-party accounts, though no refunds ever materialized. The deceptive cycle resumed in 2021 when another person identifying himself as Deepak Kumar approached him with identical commitments, leading to further financial transfers.
Intimidation escalates with impersonation of enforcement authorities
The nature of the deception shifted dramatically between 2023 and 2026, when an individual identified as Lakhotia, along with the person calling himself Iyer, began threatening the senior citizen with punitive action from the Enforcement Directorate, police, and other government bodies. During this period, the perpetrators obtained banking credentials, PAN, and identity details belonging to both the victim and his wife. The complainant reported that roughly Rs 63.58 lakh was systematically siphoned from his account through ATM withdrawals and alternative channels, while an additional Rs 51.25 lakh deposited into his account was also misappropriated by the accused.
Purported digital arrest over terror links leads to cyber police probe
The harassment reached a peak on August 16, 2026, when an individual identifying himself as Vishal Thakur, accompanied by associates, placed the victim under a purported digital arrest via a WhatsApp video call. The callers threatened severe administrative action, falsely claiming that his funds were tied to a terrorist organization. Following the formal complaint, cyber crime investigators are analyzing transaction trails across multiple beneficiary accounts, reviewing ATM withdrawal footage, and tracking mobile numbers and digital footprints utilized by the suspects, while also determining how the couple’s sensitive financial and identity records were compromised.
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