Pune professor, elderly couple lose ₹5cr to 'digital arrest' cyber fraud

India Nov 18, 2025

A retired professor from Pune and an elderly couple from Pimpri Chinchwad lost over ₹5 crore after falling for a "digital arrest" scam.
Posing as police and central agency officials, scammers accused them of terror funding, threatened arrest, and pressured them into sharing their bank details.

How the scam worked—and why it matters

The victims were told to transfer all their savings to fake government accounts for "verification."
The professor sent ₹3.08 crore between late October and mid-November; the couple handed over ₹2.14 crore in a similar time frame.
They only went to the police after scammers kept demanding more money.
FIRs were filed on November 17, 2024.
Sadly, these digital arrest scams are on the rise, so staying alert online is more important than ever.