Mumbai: A 40-year-old individual from New Delhi was apprehended by Cyber Police in what is likely the most prolonged cyber fraud case in the city, where a senior citizen from south Mumbai was swindled out of nearly Rs 3 crore over six years. The deception began with a call to the 86-year-old complainant’s landline in December 2019, and after the line was deactivated, the fraudsters began to harass him via his cellphone. Police arrested Umashankar Agarwal after tracing some of the embezzled funds to his bank account. Agarwal, who is unemployed and resides with his aunt, informed the police that he had been approached by a cyber fraudster who offered him a 2% commission on every transaction deposited into his bank account. He consented and provided his bank kit, which included his debit card, passbook, and cheque book. The police are currently searching for the fraudster. In December 2019, the complainant received a call on his landline from a woman claiming to work for an ‘Integrated Grievance Management System.’ She asserted that the government had introduced a scheme for senior citizens, allowing them to invest Rs 30,000 to receive Rs 1.5 lakh in returns. Believing her, he paid the amount. A few days later, he received a letter stating that Rs 95 lakh had been allocated to him. The letter also mentioned that the investment was facilitated through a non-banking financial institution and that an individual named Abhay Singh would reach out to him. However, Singh requested additional funds. By 2023, the complainant had yet to receive any returns. He received another letter, this time allegedly from the income-tax department, demanding a 5% tax payment. After deactivating his landline number, he began receiving calls on his cellphone, while the letters continued to arrive. In April 2024, he was instructed to pay 12.5% to settle dues with the Central Board of Direct Taxes. The subsequent letter indicated that his transactions were deemed suspicious and that he would need to pay 30% of the investment amount. In total, he had paid Rs 2.8 crore to the fraudsters.
He subsequently began to receive letters that threatened the seizure of his properties, and a caller impersonating a police officer cautioned him about potential arrest. He felt relieved when, in January 2025, he received a letter indicating that all his debts had been settled and that the process to release his funds would commence. However, when he did not receive any money, he decided to approach the police. According to a police officer, the complainant had transferred funds into various bank accounts. “We have frozen the majority of these accounts,” he stated. Investigations revealed that Agarwal’s bank account had also been utilized for receiving funds obtained through other cyber frauds. A team led by DCP (Cyber) Purushottam Karad, which includes senior inspector Nandkumar Gopale and inspector Suresh Bhoye, is currently investigating the case.
