Nagpur: A 70-year-old retired government employee was allegedly duped of ₹87.80 lakh in a sophisticated cyber fraud after two men posing as a senior government officer and a Mumbai Police sub-inspector allegedly threatened him with arrest in a fake money-laundering case.
The case has been registered at Ajni Police Station under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 204, 308(2), 336(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), 61(2), 318(4) and 319(2).
According to the complaint, the victim, Vijay Sakharam Pawar, 70, a retired clerk, lives in the Bhagwan Nagar area of Nagpur. The alleged fraud took place between August 4 and August 10, 2026, with the victim reportedly being contacted through mobile numbers 9523046382 and 8050713703.
The accused allegedly introduced themselves as Amit Kumar, claiming to be a senior officer of the “Government Protection Board of India”, and Sandeeprao, who allegedly posed as a police sub-inspector from Colaba Police Station in Mumbai.
The duo allegedly told the victim that a mobile number ending in 53891 had been obtained in Mumbai in his name and that around 20 complaints were linked to it. They further allegedly claimed that an investigation was underway in Mumbai and accused him of involvement in money laundering.
The accused allegedly told the elderly man that an arrest warrant had been issued against him, creating fear of arrest. They reportedly sent purported Reserve Bank of India certificates and Supreme Court documents through WhatsApp to make their claims appear genuine.
According to police, the accused repeatedly contacted the victim through WhatsApp calls while posing as government officials and allegedly coerced him into transferring money. They also allegedly sent fabricated copies of payment and RTGS receipts to convince him that the transactions were legitimate.
The victim allegedly lost a total of ₹87,80,600 in the fraud.
Based on his complaint, the Cyber Police registered the case. No arrest has been reported so far, and the investigation is underway to identify the accused and trace the money trail.
