In a major cyber fraud case, police in Mumbai have arrested an autorickshaw driver for allegedly helping a fraud network divert money from a 69-year-old victim based in Andheri.
According to officials, the elderly victim, a retired private firm employee, was targeted in December 2025. The fraud began when a cyber criminal called him, falsely accusing him of circulating obscene videos for extortion.
The fraudsters posed as police officers and threatened arrest if he did not cooperate. To make their claims appear real, they sent fake summons and an arrest warrant. They also made the victim sign a confidentiality agreement and staged a fake courtroom hearing with a person acting as a judge.
Under pressure and fear of arrest, the victim was instructed to transfer money to multiple bank accounts as part of a so-called investigation. Believing the claims, he transferred ₹1.57 crore. Soon after receiving the money, the fraudsters stopped all communication.
Realising the scam, the victim approached the police, who registered a case and began tracing the financial transactions. The investigation led to a bank account linked to Ashok Pal, an autorickshaw driver in Mumbai.
Police arrested Ashok Pal for allegedly allowing his account to be used to route the defrauded money. Officials confirmed that efforts are ongoing to track down the main perpetrators behind the calls and the wider fraud network.
A police officer stated, “We are tracing the frauds who made the calls to the victim and are involved in the racket.”
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