12 November,2025 07:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Anish Patil
The Central Regional Cyber Police registered an FIR against unknown accused on November 10. Representation Pic/istock
A 60-year-old Mumbai businessman was allegedly cheated of Rs 53 lakh by cybercriminals posing as officials from TRAI, Delhi Police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Enforcement Directorate. The scammers threatened him with arrest in a fake money-laundering case, kept him on a continuous WhatsApp video call claiming he was under digital arrest, and coerced him into transferring money for supposed security verification.
The scam began on November 3, 2025, when the victim received a WhatsApp call from a man claiming to be Rajiv Sinha of TRAI. He was told a SIM linked to his Aadhaar had been misused and that he had two hours to report to the Delhi Police. Soon after, another caller, introducing himself as Vijay Khanna from Delhi Police, alleged the victim's Aadhaar-linked bank account was tied to a money-laundering case involving businessman Naresh Goyal. The call was then transferred to someone claiming to be SSP Samadhan Pawar, prosecutor, CBI, who sent fake notices and demanded full compliance.
Panicked, the victim shared details of his bank accounts, business, and assets. He was ordered to stay alone overnight in a closed room with the video call on, under the pretext of digital arrest. The next morning, the scammers staged a fake online bail hearing, showing a fabricated judge cancelling his bail and ordering his accounts to be frozen.
Under pressure, the victim transferred Rs 50 lakh to a private bank account and Rs 3 lakh to a nationalised bank account. When further money was demanded, the victim grew suspicious. Using another phone, he searched for the officer's name online and found multiple fraud complaints linked to the same identity. Realising he had been cheated, he ended the call and immediately registered a complaint with the national cyber helpline 1930. Based on his detailed complaint and submitted documents, the Central Regional Cyber Police registered an FIR against unknown accused on November 10.
