Mumbai, March 14: In a shocking incident in the Bhandup area of Mumbai, cybercriminals have defrauded a retired employee of ₹39.6 lakhs over a span of 42 days by keeping him in a state of digital arrest. The scammers posed as Mumbai police officials, threatening the elderly victim with arrest in a money laundering case. Fearing for his safety, the victim remained in contact with the fraudsters and transferred money to various bank accounts.
According to police reports, 65-year-old Deepak Narayan Modkar resides with his family in Gaurishankar Chawl, Utkarsh Nagar, and retired from BEST in 2019. His family relies on his pension and his son’s salary. On January 29, around 3:30 PM, he received a call from an unknown woman who identified herself as Bini Sharma. She claimed that a SIM card issued in his name was involved in a money laundering scheme.
The woman transferred the call to another individual who introduced himself as Manoj Shinde, a Mumbai police officer, and began questioning Modkar via WhatsApp. The accused extracted information about his family, bank accounts, and valuables at home, claiming that a serious case was registered against him. They threatened him with immediate arrest and asset seizure.
The scammers maintained constant communication with the victim through calls and WhatsApp, instructing him not to leave his home or inform anyone about the situation. Modkar was effectively kept in a state of digital arrest for 42 days. During this time, the fraudsters allegedly presented him via WhatsApp video call as if he were in court, stating that the Reserve Bank was investigating the matter. They insisted that he transfer funds from his bank accounts to specified accounts for the investigation, promising a return of the money later.
Out of fear, the victim transferred ₹25 lakhs to different accounts on February 3 and February 18, 2026. Subsequently, on February 9, another person, identifying himself as Samadhan Pawar, contacted him, claiming that Manoj Shinde was on leave and he would now handle the case. He also threatened Modkar with arrest and urged him to mortgage his gold jewelry to send more money. The victim complied and deposited ₹14.6 lakhs from a local gold loan company into the fraudster’s account.
When Modkar attempted to contact the scammers again, he found their phones switched off, leading him to realize he had been scammed. He subsequently filed a complaint with the cyber helpline on March 13. The victim has reported Manoj Shinde, Samadhan Pawar, Bini Sharma, and the associated bank account holders for conspiracy and online fraud. The police have initiated an investigation and are on the lookout for the culprits.
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