Pune: A 70-year-old man from Pune has allegedly lost Rs 2.1 crore in two separate cyber frauds after scammers misused the names of prominent personalities to lure him into a fake investment scheme and later threatened him with arrest in a fabricated money laundering case.
According to the FIR registered at Pune City Cyber Police Station on October 30, the victim lost Rs 1.07 crore in the investment fraud and another Rs 1.02 crore in the digital arrest scam.
The first fraud began when the man came across an online advertisement for a fictitious venture capital company claiming to be promoted by industrialist Mukesh Ambani, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and former Union Minister P Chidambaram. The advertisement promised to turn an investment of Rs 20,000 into Rs 80,000 within a week.
After making the initial payment, the victim received fabricated profit statements and was persuaded to invest larger amounts in cryptocurrency, gold and bronze trading. Over four months, he transferred Rs 1.07 crore into multiple mule accounts. When he attempted to withdraw his money, the fraudsters demanded an additional Rs 13.5 lakh.
In July 2026, he was targeted again by callers posing as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India officials and Mumbai Police Crime Branch personnel. They falsely claimed that his SIM card and ATM card were linked to a money laundering investigation involving former Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal.
Threatened with arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, the senior citizen was placed under a purported digital arrest and instructed to transfer his savings for verification. He subsequently transferred Rs 1.02 crore to six mule accounts.
The fraudsters also pressured him to sell his flat and warned him against informing anyone. After the callers stopped responding, he approached the police.
Cases have been registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
