Maharashtra Cyber Busts 'Digital Arrest' Fraud Worth Rs 58 Crore, Seven Arrested
The elderly couple was tricked into transferring around Rs 58 crore over 40 days, wiping out their life savings and leaving them mentally exhausted.
Published : October 17, 2025 at 7:04 PM IST
Mumbai: Maharashtra Cyber, probing a major 'digital arrest' case involving siphoning of Rs 58 crore, have arrested seven accused linked to the case.
Police said the money was laundered through 6,500 mule accounts, opened in names of shell companies. A case was filed after a prominent doctor and his banker wife complained of being duped of Rs 58 crores over a period of 40 days under the pretext of digital arrest.
Addressing a press conference in Cuffe Parade, Director General of Police, Cyber Crime Department, Yashasvi Jaiswal said, "A prominent medical professional and his wife were duped of Rs 58.13 crore by cyber criminals. The elderly couple was subjected to 40 days of mental torture, fake courts and police stations under the 'digital arrest' trap. The Cyber Cell of Mumbai Police arrested seven people in this case and it has been revealed that over 6,500 bank accounts were involved in this fraud. So far, we have seized Rs 4 crore and nine teams are working on this case."
According to Jaiswal, the victim is a renowned medical professional and his wife has served in the banking sector for over 30 years. They were threatened that a case would be filed against them and they were kept under 'digital arrest'. "During these 40 days, information was sought about what the victims were doing and where they were every two hours, resulting in immense mental anguish," Jaiswal added.
The victims did not tell their two children, who lives in abroad, about this trouble. The cybercriminals contacted them through WhatsApp calls and asked them to transfer money through internet banking. In the 40-day period, the victims went to the bank 26 times to transfer money.
Notably, their frequent visits never rose any suspicion among the bank employees. An investigation is underway to determine whether there is negligence or collusion behind this," Jaiswal said.
A friend of the victims advised them to approach the cyber cell, but they did not file any complaint for 11 days. Finally, on October 12, they filed a complaint with the cyber cell. An investigation was immediately launched and seven accused were arrested within a few days.
The accused have been identified as Sheikh Shaheed Abdul Salam, Zafar Saeed, Imran Sheikh, Mohammad Naved Sheikh and three others.
"Investigation has revealed that the accused had opened hundreds of accounts on the basis of fake documents. The role of the banking system is questionable. Banks should strictly abide by the Know Your Customer (KYC) rules of their account holders. We are requesting the Reserve Bank to make amendments in this regard," Jaiswal added.
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