Pune residents have allegedly lost more than ₹49 lakh in four separate cyber fraud cases involving digital arrest threats, fake drug-trafficking allegations, cryptocurrency investment promises and fraudulent traffic challans, according to complaints registered with city police.
The largest reported loss involved a 75-year-old woman from Karvenagar, who was allegedly cheated of ₹32 lakh after fraudsters claimed that she was linked to a ₹2 crore financial fraud involving a bank in Nashik. According to Warje Police, the woman received the call on November 6. The callers allegedly said that money connected to the case had been transferred to her bank account and threatened her with arrest and seizure of her property under a so-called digital arrest.
The fraudsters demanded immediate payment to prevent legal action. The woman transferred ₹32 lakh through RTGS transactions over two to three days, according to the complaint. After receiving the money, the callers allegedly demanded additional payments. She then became suspicious and approached the police. A case has been registered at Warje Police Station, and Police Inspector Suvarna Hulwan of the Crime Branch is investigating.
In a separate case, a resident of Ambegaon Budruk allegedly lost ₹5.20 lakh after callers posing as officials from the Department of Telecommunications in Delhi claimed that his mobile number had been used for drug trafficking. The fraudsters allegedly threatened him with arrest and demanded money to prevent legal action. The victim transferred the amount to bank accounts provided by the callers before approaching the police. The case was registered at Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station, where Police Inspector Rangrao Pawar of the Crime Branch is investigating.
A young businessman allegedly lost ₹5.13 lakh in another case registered at Bibwewadi Police Station. According to the complaint, fraudsters offered him an opportunity to invest in cryptocurrency and promised lucrative returns. He transferred money to accounts supplied by them but did not receive the promised returns. Senior Police Inspector Ashwini Satpute is investigating the case.
The fourth reported incident involved a businessman living in a housing society along Pune-Satara Road. He allegedly lost ₹6.81 lakh after receiving a fraudulent traffic challan and being threatened with legal action if the fine was not paid. According to the complaint filed at Swargate Police Station, the fraudsters allegedly obtained his bank account details and used the information to withdraw money. The amount was later transferred to another bank account. Police Inspector Vikas Bharmal of the Crime Branch is investigating.
The cases show how cybercriminals are using different forms of impersonation and urgency to target residents: fake police or government action in the first two incidents, high-return investment promises in the third, and a traffic enforcement notice in the fourth. Police investigations into all four complaints are ongoing.
