Senior citizens in Pune have lost nearly ₹100 crore to so-called digital arrest scams in just 19 months, according to new data compiled by the Pune Cyber Police, highlighting how impersonation fraud continues to extract exceptionally large sums from elderly victims.
Police recorded 136 cases involving senior citizens between January 2025 and July 2026. Of these, 85 cases were registered in 2025, with reported losses of ₹53.52 crore. Another 51 cases were recorded in the first seven months of 2026, involving losses of ₹46.27 crore.
The number of cases has declined this year compared with the full 2025 figure. The amount stolen, however, has remained almost as high in just seven months.
Proposal for Conducting Cyber Crisis Drill, Tabletop Exercise (TTEx) & CCMP Readiness Exercise
Individual victims are losing crores in a single scam
Pune Cyber Police said some individual losses have reached levels normally associated with large corporate fraud.
One of the biggest cases involved an 82-year-old resident of Bhandarkar Road who was allegedly kept under a digital-arrest scam between January 23 and 31. Fraudsters reportedly convinced him that he was under investigation and induced him to transfer around ₹10.75 crore, wiping out savings and fixed deposits.
In May, an 87-year-old retired executive allegedly lost another ₹3.46 crore after callers posing as Central Bureau of Investigation officers accused him of involvement in a money-laundering case.
A 74-year-old retired teacher and her husband were also allegedly kept under psychological pressure for about a month between July and September. Police said the couple transferred around ₹68.8 lakh after scammers impersonated senior police officers.
The420.in has previously reported other Pune cases involving the same technique. In January, a woman allegedly lost ₹4.82 crore after fraudsters posed as police officers and accused her of money laundering.
Fake police stations, uniforms and legal threats build pressure
Senior Inspector Swapnali Shinde of Pune Cyber Police said scammers commonly impersonate officials from the police, CBI, Reserve Bank of India, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and other government agencies.
Victims are told that their Aadhaar number, SIM card or bank account has been connected to offences such as money laundering, terror funding, child pornography or threatening calls.
The criminals often move the conversation to video calls.
Some appear wearing police uniforms, while backgrounds are designed to resemble police stations or government offices. Fake notices, warrants and official-looking documents are then used to reinforce the threat.
Victims are instructed not to speak to relatives or lawyers and are told that transferring money is necessary for verification or to prove that their funds are legitimate.
There is no legal procedure called a digital arrest in India.
Police or investigative agencies do not place suspects under arrest through WhatsApp or video calls and do not ask people to transfer money into private or designated accounts to avoid prosecution.
Mule accounts make recovery difficult
Once a victim transfers money, fraudsters rarely leave it in a single account.
Police say the proceeds are quickly divided across mule bank accounts before being transferred again. Some funds may eventually be converted into cryptocurrency or moved beyond India, making recovery significantly harder.
A mule account is an account used to receive or move fraud proceeds on behalf of criminals. Some holders knowingly rent out accounts for commission, while others may have their banking credentials or KYC documents misused.
This speed is why authorities repeatedly urge victims to call the national cybercrime helpline 1930 immediately after discovering an unauthorised transfer.
The longer a victim waits, the more opportunities criminals have to move the money across additional accounts.
Police focus awareness campaigns on elderly residents
Pune Cyber Police have begun conducting awareness programmes through senior-citizen associations and housing societies.
Officers are also distributing advisory material telling elderly residents not to engage with callers claiming to be police or government investigators.
The latest numbers show why that focus matters.
The average reported loss across the 136 cases works out to roughly ₹73 lakh per case, although actual losses vary sharply between victims.
Digital-arrest fraud is therefore not simply generating a high volume of complaints. It is allowing criminal groups to extract retirement savings, fixed deposits and investment portfolios accumulated over decades.
What this means for you: No police, CBI, RBI or government official will ask you to transfer money during a phone or video-call investigation. If anyone claims you are under “digital arrest”, end the call, contact a family member and report the incident immediately through 1930.
Follow for daily updates on cybercrime, corporate fraud, DFIR, hacking, investigations, and digital forensics
