PUNE: In yet another case of cyber extortion targeting senior citizens, a 75-year-old retired employee of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) was duped of over ₹8 lakh after cyber fraudsters placed him under a fake “digital arrest” for several days. The incident took place within the jurisdiction of Hadapsar police station in East Pune.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the victim, Dilip Vamanrao Hattekar, a resident of Sejal Residency behind Vaibhav Theater in Hadapsar, received a WhatsApp video call on the morning of September 7, 2026. The caller, identifying himself as an “Investigation Officer Srivastava” from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) department in Delhi, accused Hattekar of involvement in a ₹22-crore money laundering racket.
The caller claimed the senior citizen had received a ₹22-lakh commission from illegal proceeds and announced that he was being placed under immediate “digital arrest.” Intimidated by the threats, Hattekar stayed on prolonged video calls and divulged his family and financial details.
Between September 9 and September 16, 2026, under relentless coercion and fear of imprisonment, Hattekar was instructed to transfer a total of ₹8,00,042 across four transactions to accounts in Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra, and India Post Payments Bank.
The fraud came to light on October 4, 2026, when the scammers made fresh demands for money. When the complainant stated he had exhausted his funds, the accused obtained his daughter’s contact number and called her directly in Warje, asking her to arrange more money immediately. Sensing a scam, the daughter rushed to her father’s residence and lodged an immediate grievance on the national cybercrime portal (Helpline 1930).
The Hadapsar police have registered a case against the unidentified callers using mobile numbers 9864013218, 7576058323, 9395746141, and 7444125301, as well as the beneficiaries of the designated bank accounts. Further investigation is underway to track the money trail.