Pune, 29 November 2025: Cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to cheat unsuspecting citizens, with three different incidents in the city revealing fraud worth more than ₹60 lakh. Cases have been registered at the Pashan, Khadki and Vishrantwadi police stations.
In the first incident, a senior citizen from Pashan was tricked through a video call. The fraudsters posed as police officials and falsely claimed that his bank account had been misused for illegal activities.
They frightened him with threats of arrest and instructed him to transfer money “to avoid action.” Believing the claim, he ended up paying ₹20.65 lakh before realising he had been cheated.
In another case, a resident of Range Hills in Khadki lost ₹27.41 lakh after being lured into a fake online investment scheme. The scammers promised high returns and convinced him to invest through a fraudulent platform. Despite multiple payments, he never received any returns and eventually approached the police.
The third case involved a woman from Vishrantwadi who was offered an attractive “work-from-home” job. The fraudsters initially paid her small amounts to gain trust and later pressured her to invest more for higher earnings. She transferred ₹12.15 lakh but received nothing in return.
Police have urged Pune citizens to stay alert against such scams and avoid sharing personal or financial details with unknown callers. Investigation in all three cases is underway.