Nagpur: Chandrakant Kothekar, a retired central government employee, and his wife Meena were overwhelmed with emotion as they recounted losing their life savings of Rs 89 lakh in a digital arrest scam. The couple, like many senior citizens, became easy targets for cyber fraudsters. Fortunately, the city police cyber cell helped them recover Rs 20 lakh.
Police Hand Over Recovered Amount
On Saturday, Nagpur Commissioner of Police Ravinder Singal handed over a cheque for the recovered amount during a one-day cyber awareness seminar. Chandrakant, sobbing, said, "I received a call claiming my name was linked to terrorist activities, and I was duped of my entire life's savings." He then passed the microphone to his wife to narrate their ordeal.
Importance of Golden Hour Response
Praising the Kothekar couple for approaching the police without delay, CP Singal emphasized that the "golden hour" response is critical in digital arrest scams. The seminar, organized by Nagpur city police and Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur, at Police Bhavan, focused on protecting the elderly from online scams, particularly digital arrest.
Cyber Cell Recovers Assets Worth Rs 5 Crore
DCP Cyber Deepak Aggarwal stated, "The Nagpur Cyber Cell returned assets worth Rs 5 crore to victims during the workshop." This included Rs 4.50 crore frozen in fraudsters' bank accounts in cases registered since January 2026 and 232 recovered mobile phones valued at approximately Rs 43 lakh.
Cyber Crime Surpasses Traditional Crimes
Joint CP Navinchandra Reddy noted that cyber crime has surpassed murder, rape, and dacoity in terms of the number of victims. He stressed the importance of using the "golden hour" after any cyber fraud to report immediately, thereby improving the chances of recovery.
Advisory for Senior Citizens
Senior citizens and retired officers were advised not to panic, share bank details, or download APK files from unknown sources. The seminar aimed to educate the public on staying vigilant against such scams.
