A new case of cyber fraud has come to light, in which the victim was cunningly targeted and a total of ₹22 crore was stolen from his bank account. The victim is an 85-year-old man, and this cyber fraud scheme went on for about three months. Pune Police has registered the case and started investigation. This is a big case of cyber fraud in Pune city. This cyber fraud case lasted from October 2025 to January 12, 2026.
Economic Offenses Wing officials said the victim transferred money to around 150 different bank accounts. These bank accounts are spread across seven different banks in cities like Noida, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The investigating agency believes that most of the accounts used for cyber fraud were mule accounts.
added to whatsapp group
In this cyber fraud case, the elderly victim lost his entire life’s earnings. He told that one day he was added to the WhatsApp group through a link. After this he was advised to invest in the stock market and lured to double his money in a few days. Cyber fraudsters gain the trust of victims and encourage them to invest.
Money transferred to different bank accounts
After this, the victim transferred the money to different bank accounts. When the victim later tried to withdraw the money, his efforts failed. Only then did the victim realize that he had become a victim of cyber fraud.
Big network of cyber scammers using 26 mobile phones
The Economic Offenses Wing reported that the scammers used around 26 mobile numbers, including several internet-based numbers and several trading applications. This is the largest cyber fraud in terms of amount since January 2023.
The bank kept sending alerts continuously
The bank also sent alerts to the victim, describing large and recurring transactions as suspicious. The elderly victim ignored the bank’s alert and kept sending money. It is noteworthy that the victim did not tell his relatives about this investment. His son and daughter-in-law, both are software engineers and work in IT companies in Pune.