Pune, 11th August 2026: A 70-year-old woman lawyer in Pune has allegedly lost ₹70 lakh after cybercriminals threatened her with a 'digital arrest' and falsely claimed that her bank account had been used for illegal black-money transactions.
According to the complaint filed by the woman at the Shivajinagar Cyber Police Station, she lives on Pisoli Road. On August 5, the accused contacted her on her mobile phone and allegedly claimed to be calling from a nationalised bank.
The fraudsters told her that her bank account had been linked to suspicious financial transactions involving black money. They then threatened that she would face arrest if she failed to comply with their instructions.
The accused allegedly told the woman that she would have to pay money immediately to avoid arrest. She was instructed to transfer ₹70 lakh to a bank account within three days.
Believing the claims and fearing arrest, the woman allegedly transferred ₹70 lakh as instructed by the accused. She later realised that she had been targeted by cybercriminals and approached the Shivajinagar Cyber Police.
The Shivajinagar Cyber Police have registered a case in connection with the fraud. Police are investigating the bank accounts used to receive the money and are working to identify and trace the accused.