3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Mar 6, 2026 07:00 PM IST
The Mumbai Police earlier this week arrested a Gujarat-based man in connection with a cyber fraud case in which a 77-year-old man was duped of ₹2.25 crore after being threatened that his name had surfaced in the probe into the Pahalgam attack. The accused had also used the forged signature of a former NIA chief to fool the victim.
An officer from the North Region Cyber Police Station said they have arrested Kishan Makwana, who allegedly provided his bank account details to cyber criminals to move the fraudulently obtained money. Makwana allegedly received a commission for allowing his account to be misused.
According to police, Makwana was traced and apprehended through technical analysis during the investigation into the complaint filed by the elderly victim.
An officer said the incident took place 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 would need to appear for questioning in a terrorism case.
The fraudsters, who claimed that the Lucknow Anti-Terrorism Squad was investigating the matter, told the victim that his Aadhaar card had been misused to open a bank account in Jammu and Kashmir and that funds meant for suspected terrorists had been routed through the account. They further alleged that the victim had received ₹70 lakh as commission in the transaction.
The accused later sent a forged notice on WhatsApp 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 ₹5 lakh. Police said the message also included forged documents such as an arrest warrant and a seizure order.
After the senior citizen said he was willing to cooperate, the accused told him he would need to transfer the ₹2.25 crore in his bank account so that they could verify it had not been used for terror purposes. He was told that once the verification was completed, the money would be returned to his account.
Story continues below this ad
Fearing arrest, the elderly man transferred more than ₹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. During the probe, police identified Makwana’s role in providing bank accounts used in the fraud and arrested him earlier this week.
