Badlapur: An 84-year-old retired senior citizen from Badlapur East was allegedly duped of Rs 5.04 crore in a ‘digital arrest’ scam after fraudsters impersonated legal and police officials and threatened him with arrest.

According to the complaint, Sharad Vishnu Joglekar, a resident of Gokul Building, Karjat Road, received repeated calls from unknown numbers between September 1 and October 5, 2026. The callers allegedly posed as ‘Legal Advisor’ Rajesh Kumar Yadav, ‘Police Officer’ Sandeep Rao, and officials from the Nashik Crime Branch.

The accused later contacted Joglekar and his wife through WhatsApp video calls and placed them under continuous ‘digital arrest’. They allegedly showed forged documents and photographs linked to the Supreme Court, Enforcement Directorate, Canara Bank, Nashik police, and other government agencies.

The fraudsters claimed that a Canara Bank account in Joglekar’s name had been used for illegal financial transactions. They allegedly threatened him, stating, “All your bank accounts and deposited funds must be transferred to an RBI account, or else you and your wife will be arrested.”

Fearing arrest, Joglekar reportedly shared his financial details and transferred Rs 5.04 crore through RTGS to three bank accounts provided by the accused.

After realising he had been defrauded, Joglekar approached Badlapur East Police Station. Police registered a case against Yadav, Rao and unidentified accomplices under Sections 308(2), 318(4), 336(3), 340(2) and 61(2) of the BNS, 2023, along with Section 66(D) of the IT Act.