Pune cyber fraud: 8 held for cheating senior citizen of Rs 22 crore

Pune Police arrested 8 people in a major cyber fraud, cheating an 85-year-old of Rs 22.03 crore through a fake share trading scheme. The scam involved using WhatsApp groups and fraudulent apps to lure the victim with promises of high returns.

Pune Police have arrested eight persons in connection with a major cyber fraud case involving fake share trading, in which an 85-year-old senior citizen was cheated of Rs 22.03 crore, officials said on Wednesday.

Details of the Cyber Fraud

According to the Cyber Cell of Pune City police, the accused used WhatsApp groups, mobile applications and fraudulent links to lure the victim into bogus share trading investments.

Police said the fraud took place between November 25, 2025 and 9 January 2026, during which the accused convinced the victim to transfer money in multiple transactions, falsely projecting high returns from stock market investments.

Legal Action Taken

The offence was registered under Sections 318(4), 318(2), 318(1), and 3(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

Investigation and Arrests

Following technical and financial analysis, the cyber police identified and arrested eight accused from different locations.

The accused were produced before the court and remanded to police custody until February 16, 2026.

Fund Recovery and Ongoing Probe

During the investigation, police have successfully frozen Rs 3.24 crore of the defrauded amount. Further investigation is underway to trace additional bank accounts and recover more funds, officials added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)