A 71-year-old woman from Mumbai’s Dahisar East was cheated of Rs 4.5 lakh by cyber fraudsters pretending to be senior police officers under what is known as “digital arrest”. The accused threatened her with arrest in a fake money laundering case and kept her under virtual surveillance through WhatsApp calls before forcing her to transfer money.
The woman got the calls from unknown persons during the time between August 2 and August 3, 2026, she said. As per her complaint, the callers said that Rajesh Mishra was a senior police officer. The accused used the name and power of the government to make the woman feel she was likely to be in trouble.
The fraudsters told the woman that a money laundering case had been registered in her name and that she could be arrested. Instead of actually taking her into custody, they allegedly told her to stay connected via WhatsApp calls. So she had this feeling that she was being watched by police officials all the time.
Such tactics are typical of digital arrest scams in which criminals exploit victims’ fear of law enforcement and criminal proceedings. Victims are told that their names, phone numbers, bank accounts or identity documents have been linked to serious offences and must follow instructions, share confidential financial information or transfer money under the pretext of investigation, account verification or security checks.
In this instance, the accused asked the elderly woman for details of her bank accounts and the amount of money available in them. They said the information was necessary to verify her accounts as part of the purported investigation. And under pressure, she followed their instructions and transferred Rs 4.5 lakh.
Police later traced the transaction and found that the money had been routed through a State Bank of India account before being deposited into a current account with IndusInd Bank. The beneficiary account was reportedly held in the name of Mahakal Enterprises.
Dahisar Police began investigating the financial and digital trail associated with the transaction. The email address of the bank account as well as login information recorded around the time the money was transferred were examined.
The technical investigation led police to Dhirajkumar Kesaram Prajapati, 28, a resident of Kamathipura in Mumbai. Police arrested Prajapati in connection with the case. According to investigators, the Rs 4.5 lakh transferred by the victim reached IndusInd Bank and the email ID of the transaction was obtained through Prajapati's mobile phone.
Police believe Prajapati was involved in the larger cyber fraud operation and are still investigating the wider network behind the alleged scam. Bank accounts, digital identities, mobile phones and online communication platforms make it increasingly difficult for victims to distinguish genuine investigations from sophisticated cyber fraud attempts.
The case has been registered at Dahisar Police Station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Further investigation is anticipated to determine the roles of others involved in the alleged operation.
It is also an example of the increasing threat of digital arrest scams to elderly people who may be particularly vulnerable to intimidation from people who claim to be from police departments, courts, government agencies or financial regulators.
Authorities have repeatedly warned that genuine law enforcement agencies do not conduct arrests through WhatsApp or other video-call platforms. Police officers also do not demand money from citizens as a condition for avoiding arrest, clearing a case or “verifying” bank accounts.
Cybersecurity experts advise those who are receiving such calls to remain calm and to not reveal personal, banking or identity information. Victims should then disconnect from the caller and independently verify any claim by contacting the agency through an official channel.
Someone who believes they have been targeted by a cyber fraud can report the incident through the national cybercrime helpline at 1930 or via the official cybercrime reporting portal. Prompt reporting is especially important when money has already been transferred, as it may give authorities a better chance of tracing and freezing the funds.
The Mumbai case is another reminder that criminals are now using impersonation, psychological pressure and digital technology to carry out financial fraud. A threatening video call, fake police identity or an allegation involving money laundering should never be taken at face value. Citizens need to know that in practice there is no legal procedure in place where their freedom is guaranteed, virtual “arrest” or money transferred to prove their innocence.
