Pune Influencer Arrested for Alleged Role in ₹10.74 Crore Cyber Fraud

Pune Cyber Police have arrested a 26-year-old social media influencer for his alleged involvement in a ‘digital arrest’ scam in which an 82-year-old resident was duped of ₹10.74 crore, officials said.

The accused, Rohan Jadhav, a science graduate from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and a resident of Pimple Nilakh, is known for posting reels on Instagram. Police allege that he played a key role in the fraud and was in contact with suspected international handlers based in Hong Kong.

According to investigators, the scam took place between January 23 and 31, 2026. The fraudsters allegedly used the senior citizen’s Aadhaar details to open a bank account with Canara Bank. They then contacted him while posing as CBI officials, claiming that the account was connected to cases involving former Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal.

The victim was allegedly told that the account had been used for illegal transactions and that he and his family members could be arrested. Under the pretext of protecting his money, the accused allegedly pressured him into transferring his investments to several bank accounts.

The victim ultimately transferred ₹10,74,65,000, police said. Investigators later found that the money was routed through 5,436 bank accounts.

Police said ₹75 lakh was deposited into a Yes Bank account on January 30, following which ₹6.5 lakh was transferred to three Bank of Maharashtra accounts.

Based on technical analysis, cybercrime portal data, CCTV footage and scrutiny of financial transactions, police had earlier arrested Harshad Subhash Dhantole, Samarth Suresh Deshmukh, Amar Attargi and Pranav Karansingh Arya.

Jadhav was allegedly a main associate of Dhantole and Deshmukh. After examining his banking records, financial dealings and links with other accused, investigators arrested him.

Police have so far frozen ₹1.34 crore of the allegedly extorted money. Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining funds and identify other individuals involved in the network.