Pune, 14th August 2026: Cyber Police have arrested a 26-year-old social media content creator for his alleged role in a ₹10.74 crore digital arrest scam targeting an 82-year-old Pune resident. Police identified the accused as Rohan Rameshwar Jadhav, a BSc graduate from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar who currently lives in Pimple Gurav.
According to police, Jadhav allegedly worked as a key coordinator for an international cyber-fraud network. Investigators found that the money collected from the victim was moved through thousands of bank accounts before being transferred through cryptocurrency channels to overseas operators.
The fraud began between January 23 and January 31, when the elderly victim was repeatedly contacted by people posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials.
The fraudsters allegedly told the senior citizen that his name had surfaced in a serious criminal case. They threatened him with immediate arrest and kept him under virtual surveillance through video calls.
Believing the threats to be genuine, the victim transferred money into several bank accounts controlled by the fraud network. One of the major transfers, involving ₹75 lakh, was made on January 30. In total, the victim lost ₹10.74 crore.
Police said Jadhav also allegedly misused another person's Aadhaar card to open a bank account in that person's name. The account was subsequently used for criminal transactions.
Investigators believe such accounts were part of a larger network of mule bank accounts, which were used to receive and move money obtained from cybercrime victims.
Police traced the stolen funds through 5,436 bank accounts across the country. They have so far managed to freeze around ₹1.34 crore.
The investigation also found that at least 29 other cybercrime complaints were connected to some of the bank accounts under investigation.
According to investigators, local members of the network collected money from different accounts and passed it through multiple layers to conceal its source.
Police allege that one of the local associates, Harshad Dhantole, withdrew cash from ATMs and handed it over to Jadhav. Jadhav allegedly remained in contact with Hong Kong-based handlers through Telegram video calls.
Investigators suspect that the money was converted into Tether (USDT), a cryptocurrency linked to the US dollar, and transferred to overseas operators. Jadhav allegedly received a commission for his role in the transactions.
The operation reportedly involved a combination of local coordinators, mule account holders and overseas handlers.
The cybercrime investigation had already resulted in several arrests. Police arrested Shubham, 26, and another associate in February, followed by the arrest of Amar Shivaji Attergi, 24, in March. During the subsequent investigation and technical analysis, police allegedly found links to Jadhav.
Investigators also identified other suspected associates, including Harshad Dhantole and Samarth Deshmukh. Jadhav was arrested this week after police allegedly established his role through technical evidence and the financial trail.
Although the victim was from Pune, the scam operated through a wider network spread across several locations. Police traced transactions through accounts in different parts of the country and found links to operators based in Hong Kong.
The case highlights how digital arrest scams combine psychological pressure, fake law-enforcement identities, bank accounts and cryptocurrency to steal large sums from victims.
Cybercrime investigators are continuing to examine the financial transactions and identify other people involved in the network.