MUMBAI: Maharashtra Cyber Cell’s real-time technical analysis helped to rescue the 74-year-old Sambhaji Nagar-based woman victim who had been defrauded of approximately Rs. 3 crore.
The cyber cell identified and facilitated the rescue of another elderly woman in Delhi who was simultaneously being subjected to an ongoing digital arrest fraud.
The 74-year-old woman who was subject to digital arrest had already transferred Rs. 27 lakh to the fraudsters, and their total demand was Rs 3 crore. But the Maharashtra cyber cell’s technical assistance prevented her from suffering further financial losses.
Upon receiving information regarding the incident, a technical team from Maharashtra Cyber reached the location to assist the local police in examining the financial transactions and tracing the movement of the defrauded funds.
During the course of the technical examination, Maharashtra Cyber's technical team undertook live analysis of the transaction trail and scrutinised the accounts linked to the fraudulent activity.
The analysis of a Layer-1 mule account, through which Rs. 89 lakh of the defrauded funds had been traced, revealed a fresh RTGS credit of Rs. 14 lakh from another individual through UCO Bank. This transaction provided a crucial lead indicating the possibility of another victim being actively targeted by the same fraudulent operation.
Acting upon this lead, Maharashtra Cyber immediately undertook backward tracing of the transaction and analysed the associated financial linkages.
An urgent notice was issued to UCO Bank seeking the relevant Know Your Customer (KYC) details, which helped establish that the sender was a woman residing in New Delhi.
Further examination of the transaction raised strong suspicion that the woman was being actively targeted through a digital arrest scam and was at risk of transferring additional funds to the fraudsters.
Recognising the possibility of ongoing cyber fraud, Maharashtra Cyber promptly alerted the Delhi Police on October 13, 2026, sharing actionable technical intelligence and relevant transaction details for immediate intervention.
Acting on this information, Delhi Police successfully traced and rescued the elderly woman from the ongoing digital arrest fraud. Delhi Police are currently in the process of registering an FIR in connection with the incident.
Maharashtra Cyber urges all citizens, particularly senior citizens, to remain vigilant against digital arrest scams wherein fraudsters impersonate police officers, investigating agencies, or other government authorities and threaten victims with arrest or legal consequences to extort money.
Maharashtra Cyber reiterated that there is no such legal procedure as a "Digital Arrest" in India. No legitimate law enforcement agency places citizens under arrest through video calls or demands money to avoid arrest or legal proceedings. Citizens are strongly advised not to panic, disclose sensitive banking information, or transfer funds in response to such threats.