Digital Arrest Fraud in Gwalior, India Leads to 58 Crore Scam and Nasik Businessman's Arrest

Police in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, busted a large digital‑arrest fraud that siphoned about ₹1.58 crore from a 69‑year‑old retired lab technician, Meenakshi Nakhre. The scheme involved impersonating officials, threatening the victim with a fabricated "digital arrest" for 33 days, and coercing her to transfer funds, including ₹19.5 lakh to an ICICI bank current account.

Investigators traced the money trail to a steel trader, Bitthal Phalse, based in Nasik, Maharashtra. He was apprehended while in transit to Gwalior and taken into custody. Authorities warned the public to avoid sharing OTPs, PINs, or banking details with unknown callers and to report suspicious demands immediately.

The case highlights the growing use of cyber‑enabled scams that fake legal actions to extort money, prompting police to alert citizens across the region.