A 32-year-old man has been arrested by Mumbai’s central cyber police for allegedly allowing his bank account to be used in a digital arrest fraud case in which a businessman was duped of nearly Rs 48 lakh. Police said the accused, Swapnil Chavan, allegedly received Rs 10 lakh in his account and are now examining whether he received funds from other such sources and whether he is linked to a wider racket.
According to investigators, the fraudsters in the case posed as officials from Mumbai Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency. Police alleged that Chavan’s account was used as a mule account to receive and siphon off money extorted from the victim through threats of arrest and a fabricated investigation.
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Account Holder Arrested in Ongoing Probe
Police said Chavan, who is engaged in farming and runs an agro company, was taken into custody as part of a broader effort to dismantle the cybercrime network behind the fraud. Officials are scrutinizing his banking records to determine whether the account was used in other cases as well.
The victim in the case is a branch manager with a pharmaceutical company in Byculla. According to the first information report dated February 19, 2026, the victim, who lives in Kalachowki, was allegedly deceived by fraudsters impersonating ATS and NIA officers.
Fake Investigation Used to Extract Funds
As per the complaint, the victim received a call on January 7 from a person identifying himself as Inspector Ranjit Kumar Singh from the Mumbai Police headquarters in Colaba. The caller allegedly claimed that the victim’s Aadhaar card had been misused for anti-national activities and pressured him to cooperate with what was presented as an official investigation.
Police said the victim was later contacted through video calls by others posing as senior ATS and NIA officials. The fraudsters allegedly threatened him with digital arrest and shared fabricated documents, including a confidential agreement, an asset seizure order and an arrest warrant. Under pressure, he was told to transfer money to obtain a so-called non-involvement certificate.
Nearly Rs 48 Lakh Transferred to Multiple Accounts
Fearing legal consequences, the victim transferred Rs 47.99 lakh between January 8 and January 23, 2026, to multiple bank accounts across several financial institutions, including City Union Bank, State Bank of India and Equitas Bank, police said.
When the accused stopped responding, the victim realised he had been cheated and lodged a complaint with Cyber Helpline 1930 on February 3, 2026. Police said further investigation is underway to identify other members of the syndicate and to trace and recover the defrauded amount.
