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Mumbai Crime Branch busts digital loan app extortion…

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activeBanking / Loan FraudMaharashtra

Mumbai Crime Branch busts digital loan app extortion racket; six arrested

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch arrested six members of a gang accused of running a digital loan app extortion racket. According to reports, a man filed a complaint stating he was subjected to persistent harassment, threats, and blackmail after taking an online loan. Investigators alleged that the gang gained access to the victim's mobile data through an APK file and used it to intimidate him and his relatives.

State

Maharashtra

First reported

May 2026

Agency involved

Mumbai Police Crime Branch

Arrests

6 accused

Status

Accused remanded in police custody till Saturday

The full story

Everything you need to know about this case, in one place.

The victim initially took a small loan through an application in May 2025. After he repaid it, the accused allegedly forced him to take multiple new loans to pay mounting interest demands. Officials stated the victim was driven to borrow from 18 different online loan apps, accumulating a total of more than Rs 7 lakh. The gang also reportedly harassed the victim's friends, family members, and office colleagues, causing severe mental distress.

Following a formal complaint, the Crime Branch registered a case and apprehended six individuals. A court remanded the arrested accused into police custody. Authorities have appealed to the public to exercise caution when downloading online loan applications and to report any instances of extortion immediately.

Not yet reported: The reports do not specify the identities of the arrested individuals or the exact names of the fraudulent loan applications used.

Where the case stands

The latest position in the reports we read.

Six suspects have been arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch and remanded in police custody until Saturday as the investigation continues.

Who was affected

Described in general terms; we do not name victims.

A male resident from Mumbai and his relatives, friends, and office colleagues who faced harassment and threats.

Timeline

Key dates as reported, oldest first.

May 25, 2025The victim took an online loan of Rs 22,050 through a digital application.

May 25, 2026The victim filed a formal police complaint regarding the online loan harassment and extortion.

Monday (May 2026)The Mumbai Police Crime Branch arrested six individuals in connection with the racket.

How the scam worked

The method described in the reports.

The victim downloaded an online loan application and took a small initial loan.
The application allegedly used an APK file to gain unauthorized access to the victim's mobile data.
After the initial loan was repaid, the accused demanded further payments under the guise of exorbitant interest.
The gang used abusive language and threatened to harm the victim's family or spread defamatory messages.
To meet these demands, the victim was forced to take fresh loans from 18 different online lending applications.
The perpetrators continued to harass the victim's relatives, friends, and colleagues even after multiple repayments.

Targeted by something similar?

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Sources and further reading

Optional. The full story is above; these are the original reports it was prepared from.

mid-day.comOriginal report Mid-DayOpens via Google News Cyber Alert: Today’s Biggest Cyber Crime Stories Shaking India – 9th October - The420.inThe420.in · 9 Oct 2026

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