Mumbai

Mumbai Police have arrested a man from Gujarat in connection with a cyber fraud case in which a 77-year-old senior citizen from Goregaon was cheated of more than Rs 2.25 crore after being threatened with arrest in a fabricated terrorism investigation, an official said on Friday.

The arrested accused, identified as Kishan Bhaveshbhai Makwana, allegedly facilitated the fraud by opening bank accounts that were used by cyber criminals to route and store money obtained from victims.

According to the police, Makwana was traced and apprehended through technical analysis during the investigation of the complaint filed by the elderly victim.

As per the complaint, the fraud began in November last year when the senior citizen received a call from individuals posing as law enforcement officials. The caller, who introduced himself as Akash Sharma from the Mumbai Police Headquarters, told the victim that he was required to appear for questioning in connection with a serious investigation.

When the complainant said he could not appear immediately, the call was allegedly transferred to another person claiming to be an officer of the Lucknow Anti-Terrorism Squad.

The fraudsters then told the victim that his Aadhaar card had been misused to open a bank account in Jammu and Kashmir and that funds intended for suspected terrorists had been routed through the account. They further alleged that the victim had received Rs 70 lakh as commission in the transaction.

To intensify the pressure, the victim later received a WhatsApp message containing a notice purportedly signed by then NIA chief Sadanand Date, warning that failure to cooperate in the investigation could lead to a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.

Police said the message also included forged documents such as an arrest warrant and a seizure order.

Under the pretext of clearing his name, the fraudsters asked the victim to share details of his bank accounts and instructed him to transfer money to accounts provided by them for verification.

Fearing arrest, the elderly man transferred more than Rs 2.25 crore in several transactions between November 18 and December 3, 2025.

After receiving the funds, the fraudsters told the victim that his “bail” had been approved and assured him that the money would be returned soon.

When the promised refund did not materialise, the victim approached the North Regional Cyber Division and lodged a complaint.

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During the probe, police identified Makwana’s role in providing bank accounts used in the fraud and arrested him earlier this week. Further investigation into the case is ongoing, officials said.