In a major action against the cybercrime, the south cyber police of the Mumbai Crime Branch on Monday arrested two individuals for allegedly extorting Rs 20 crore from an 86-year-old woman. While presenting themselves as officials, the accused had threatened the woman with a money laundering case against her and children.
The police further informed that the accused have accepted that they "digitally arrested" the woman and forced her to transfer the amount. While providing more details, the police stated that the two arrested individuals are Shayan Jamil Sheikh (20) and Rajik Azam Butt (20). The police also stated that Butt is reportedly part of a bigger international racket, connected via social media apps.
He was connected with 13 other foreign nationals on the Telegram app and used to share the bank details of Indian bank accounts for further planning. The officials also informed that the alleged fraud took place between December 26, 2024, and March 3, 2025.
The online fraudsters had contacted the woman in December last year and threatened her for transferring the amount by alleging that a money laundering case was ongoing against her. The fraudsters told her that her Aadhar Card was used to open a bank account, used for several online frauds.
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The online fraudsters also threatened to file complaints against her and family members. They instilled fear into the woman, manipulating her to transfer the huge amount into their bank accounts. However, she registered a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Platform after she realised that she was being duped.
“Between December 2024 and March 2025, the victim was tricked into transferring a total of Rs 20.25 crore. However, when she came to know that she was being duped, she filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Platform, following which she approached the South Cyber Police Station to lodge a complaint,” an officer was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
The police further stated that they are investigating the bank accounts and other information regarding their group.