Over the whole of 2025, Pune police registered 85 cybercrime cases in which senior citizens lost Rs53.52 crore in total. In 2026, 51 cases were registered till the end of July, involving total losses of Rs46.27 crore
Pune Senior Citizens Lose Rs100 Crore to Digital Arrest Scams
Pune’s senior citizens have collectively lost Rs100 crore in 136 digital arrest scams over the past 19 months, as reported by the Pune cyber police. In 2025 alone, 85 cases were registered, resulting in losses of Rs53.52 crore. By the end of July 2026, 51 additional cases had been reported, with total losses reaching Rs46.27 crore.
Despite a decrease in the number of cases in 2026, the financial impact remains significant. Senior Inspector Swapnali Shinde noted, “Though the number of cases is lower in 2026, the amount of money involved is staggering. People have lost large sums this year. In one case, a single senior citizen was cheated of Rs10 crore.”
A recent incident highlights the severity of these scams. A 74-year-old retired teacher and her husband were allegedly defrauded of Rs68.8 lakh between July and September 2026. The scammers impersonated senior police officers and subjected the couple to a month-long “digital arrest.”
The officer was alluding to a case that came to the fore in Feb this year, highlighting that an 82-year-old man from Bhandarkar Road had lost Rs10.75 crore to a digital arrest fraud between Jan 23 and 31. The victim, hailing from North India and settled in Pune about 15 years ago, lost all his savings and fixed deposits (FDs).
Later, in another case in May this year, an 87-year-old retired executive lost Rs3.46 crore after fraudsters posing as CBI officers threatened him with arrest in a fake money-laundering case. They use fake documents, make video calls and issue threats of arrest. Suspects force the victims, who are senior citizens, to transfer money to mule bank accounts, promising to settle the case against them. ”
Shinde added, “Scams of this variety today typically involve fraudsters impersonating police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), or any other central agency officials.