A 68-year-old retired woman was allegedly pressured by fake officials into mortgaging family jewellery and transferring ₹60.5 lakh during a week-long money-laundering hoax.
A 68-year-old retired woman in Mumbai was allegedly cheated out of ₹60.5 lakh after fraudsters posing as police officers and other officials convinced her she was facing a money-laundering case, according to a complaint filed with the East Region Cyber Police. The woman, who lives in Kanjurmarg East and previously worked for Maharashtra Credit Cooperative Society, was reportedly kept under sustained pressure by callers who used threats, false badge numbers and repeated instructions to isolate herself from family and bank staff.
The scam began on September 28, 2026, when she received a call from a man claiming to be Ajay Sharma from a “Data Protection Department”. He allegedly told her that multiple complaints had been filed against her and directed her to contact Panchavati police in Nashik. When she said travel was difficult because of a leg problem, he allegedly steered her to an online complaint process and passed her to another caller who identified himself as Sub-Inspector Sandeep Rao. He is said to have claimed that her Aadhaar details had been misused, that a money-laundering investigation was under way and that an arrest warrant had already been issued.
According to the FIR, the intimidation escalated the next day with a WhatsApp video call, during which the woman was questioned about her gold jewellery, including items belonging to her daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. The alleged fraudsters then instructed her to withdraw the jewellery from a locker, photograph it and mortgage about 52 tolas of gold at a Muthoot Finance branch in Vikhroli. Representatives of the finance company later visited her home, verified her documents and took her to the branch, where she obtained a loan of ₹25 lakh after charges were deducted.
Police said the money was deposited into her Punjab National Bank account in Bhandup and then transferred out in several RTGS payments on October 1, 3 and 6 after the callers instructed her to say the funds were needed for house construction. She was allegedly kept on video calls during the transfers and told that the money had been placed with the Reserve Bank of India and would be returned. Only after the suspects stopped responding on October 6 and ignored her follow-up calls on October 12 and 13 did she realise she had been duped, prompting her to contact the national cybercrime helpline on October 14. The case adds to a growing string of digital arrest scams reported across India, including similar incidents in Delhi, Noida, Bengaluru, Telangana and other cities, where elderly victims have been pressured into handing over money, gold or property documents through elaborate impersonation and fear tactics.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
