Pune, 21st July 2026: Cyber fraud incidents are rising sharply in the city, with the city's Cyber Cell and various police stations registering 42 online cheating cases in a single day. The scams ranged from fake share trading and crypto investment schemes to hacked bank accounts, resulting in losses worth several lakh rupees.
The biggest fraud was reported in Kothrud, where a resident was cheated of ₹62.43 lakh through an online investment scam. Cyber criminals allegedly lured the victim with promises of high returns before siphoning off the money.
In another case registered with the Bharati Vidyapeeth Police, fraudsters hacked the net banking customer ID and password of a 50-year-old man and illegally transferred ₹16.50 lakh from his bank account.
Meanwhile, a 78-year-old senior citizen from Baner was duped of ₹6.11 lakh after being promised attractive returns through a fake forex trading scheme.
Investigators found that most of the fraudsters routed the stolen money through mule bank accounts before withdrawing it via ATMs to avoid detection.
Cyber police have begun investigations into all the cases and are working to trace the accused while urging citizens to remain cautious of unsolicited investment offers and suspicious online transactions.