BELAGAVI: In one of the biggest cyber fraud cases in the state so far, an 81-year-old businessman in Belagavi has been cheated of Rs 15.45 crore by cyber criminals by placing him under ‘digital arrest’. The police said the victim, a resident of Agarkar Road in Tilakwadi, received a WhatsApp call on February 5 from individuals posing as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They told the businessman that SIM cards registered in his name were linked to illegal activities, and one of them had been used to contact a senior executive of Jet Airways. The cyber criminals then told the businessman that he was under investigation in a money-laundering case involving Rs 25 lakh and that he had received a commission of Rs 5 lakh. They again contacted him between February 7 and March 9, and coerced him into transferring money multiple times, ultimately siphoning off Rs 15.45 crore.

Source: Indian Express March 23, 2026 09:15 UTC