Mumbai: Maharashtra lost ₹2,119.69 crore to cyber fraud in the first eight months of 2026, an average of ₹8.72 crore a day, according to Maharashtra Cyber records. Investigators could save ₹587.40 crore of it, or 27.71 per cent, leaving victims short by ₹1,532.29 crore.
The agency received 2,08,767 complaints up to 31 August. In the whole of 2025 it received 2,84,281 complaints involving ₹3,536.42 crore, of which ₹617.52 crore was saved.
The gap between what is reported and what is recovered has a mechanical explanation. Fraudsters split a sum and push it through several bank accounts, wallets and payment channels within minutes. By the time a victim understands what happened and files a complaint, the money has moved two or three layers away.
Mule accounts do the heavy lifting. Criminals use accounts belonging to people with thin finances and unemployed youth, police investigations indicate. Account kits and credentials are bought for ₹15,000 to ₹20,000, and people are paid ₹500 to ₹1,000 to withdraw cash from ATMs linked to those accounts.
The networks run across states, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Gujarat, with different people handling calls to victims, fraudulent messages, account management and transfers. Cash collectors have been found staying in Thane, Mira Road and Nalasopara for 10 to 15 days, withdrawing money across Mumbai before moving on.
"The traditional 'golden hour' is losing its edge," an official said, describing the first 60 minutes after a fraudulent transaction. Once a complaint comes in, police examine the victim's bank details, work out the method, and email and call the banks to stop further transfers. "If the money is still within the banking system, it can be held."
Getting transaction details from banks can take 12 to 24 hours, officials said, which is time the money does not spend waiting. The Centre's Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System has helped save over ₹11,158 crore across more than 32.80 lakh complaints as of mid-2026.
Police advice is blunt: do not wait to assemble documents. Call the bank, dial 1930, file on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and keep transaction IDs, statements and screenshots. Complaints filed within the first 24 hours have a better chance of freezing at least part of the money.