Mumbai | Maharashtra has registered 10,505 cyber financial fraud cases between January 2025 and May 2026, leading to the arrest of 2,379 accused, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the state legislative assembly on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question raised by several members, Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, said Ahilyanagar district recorded 5,141 complaints in 2025 involving digital arrest scams, share trading frauds, hotel rating scams and malicious APK and PDF files, resulting in losses of Rs 37.76 crore.
Of the amount involved, transactions worth Rs 7.02 crore were put on hold, he said.
Fadnavis said a retired government employee from Kopargaon in Ahilyanagar district was duped of Rs 87.3 lakh after being threatened with "digital arrest". One accused has been arrested and a chargesheet was filed on April 29.
Of the defrauded amount, Rs 42.18 lakh have been returned to the complainant following court orders, while legal proceedings are underway to refund the remaining amount, he told the House.
In another case, a 62-year-old resident of Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.54 crore in a digital arrest scam. Four accused have been arrested, of whom three are currently out on bail while one remains in judicial custody. A chargesheet was filed in the case on June 9, according to the reply.
Fadnavis said 30 cases involving cyber fraud against senior citizens were registered in Nagpur city between January and May this year.
Pune city recorded 536 cyber financial fraud cases involving Rs 200 crore during the first five months of 2026, while 17 cases linked to fake messages, links and APK files sent in the name of Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd (MNGL) caused losses of Rs 88 lakh, the chief minister said.
According to the written reply, Mumbai recorded 4,825 cyber financial fraud cases in 2025 and 1,410 accused were arrested. The fraud amount stood at Rs 1,031 crore, of which transactions worth Rs 110 crore were frozen.
Nagpur city registered 136 cyber financial fraud cases in 2025 and arrested 83 accused. The total fraud amount was Rs 82 crore, with Rs 3 crore being put on hold.
The CM said the state has operationalised the Maharashtra Cyber Security Project at Mahape in Navi Mumbai with a focus on protecting women, children and senior citizens from cyber fraud.
He said 50 district cyber labs and police stations have been equipped with modern infrastructure to investigate technologically complex crimes and personnel are being imparted online training in forensic tools.
The Maharashtra Cyber office has been brought directly under the Director General of Police (DGP) to improve its effectiveness and reach, Fadnavis said.
He said the government will launch a state-wide cyber awareness campaign through WhatsApp and continue to encourage people to report cyber offences through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the helpline number 1930.
Cyber advisories and awareness graphics are being disseminated through X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, while cyber safety videos are being displayed on 590 digital screens installed at 34 major railway stations across 23 districts, the reply said.
The Mumbai police are also conducting awareness programmes under the #CyberSafeMumbai campaign with the participation of noted artists, sportspersons and actors, it added.