A 68-year-old man from Maharashtra’s Thane district was allegedly duped of ₹23.5 lakh by cyber fraudsters who threatened him with a so-called “digital arrest,” police said on Monday (December 22, 2025). This marks the second such incident reported in the district within a week, an official confirmed.
Based on a complaint filed by the victim, Kalyan police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, according to Assistant Inspector Vinod Patil of Mahatma Phule police station.
“The complainant alleged that two unidentified persons cheated him of ₹23.5 lakh by threatening to place him under digital arrest and forced him to transfer money through online transactions between December 8 and 12,” Mr. Patil said.
‘Digital arrest’ is an emerging cybercrime tactic in which fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials or representatives of government agencies. Using audio or video calls, they intimidate victims, restrict their movements, and pressure them into transferring money.
According to the police, the accused contacted the senior citizen through WhatsApp video calls and claimed that his bank transactions were suspicious and linked to alleged irregularities. “The fraudsters told him that he could be placed under digital arrest, but assured him that they would help him avoid legal action if he cooperated,” the officer said.
Mr. Patil added that the victim was repeatedly threatened and coerced into making multiple online transfers, which cumulatively amounted to ₹23.5 lakh.
The incident came to light after the victim shared his experience with acquaintances and later approached the police upon realising that he had been cheated. “We are analysing bank transaction details, call records and digital evidence to track down the accused,” Mr. Patil said.
