Citizens of Nagpur have lost a staggering Rs 1585.58 cr to financial frauds between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2025, according to official data revealed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The information was disclosed by the Crime Branch of Nagpur City Police in response to an RTI application filed by Abhay Kolarkar. The figures expose the alarming scale of economic offences in the city over the past nine years. A total of 4,736 financial crime cases were registered during this period under the Nagpur Police Commissionerate. The number of cases has shown a rising trend, increasing from 444 in 2017 to 697 in 2024, before slightly dropping to 629 in 2025.

 

 

 

Despite the large number of cases, recovery of the defrauded money remains minimal. Of the amount siphoned off, the police have managed to recover over Rs 17 cr. This accounts for barely 1.1 per cent of the total amount involved. The data indicates that while cases are being registered and investigated, the financial losses suffered by victims are largely irretrievable. Furthermore, the year-wise data shows that in 2024 alone, frauds amounting to Rs 329 crore were reported, while only Rs 70 lakh was recovered. Similarly, in 2025, cases involving Rs 351 cr were registered, with recovery of just Rs 1.40 cr. The year 2023 also witnessed a sharp spike, with frauds totalling Rs 287 cr. 

 

 

Out of the 4,736 registered cases, 3,229 have been detected. Arrest figures, however, fluctuate significantly across years. While 472 accused were arrested in 2018, the number dropped sharply to 36 in 2021, even though 488 cases were registered that year. In 2022, the defrauded amount crossed Rs 192 cr, reflecting a growing trend of high-value financial crimes. The conviction data presents an equally concerning picture. Between 2017 and 2025, a total of 966 cheating cases were disposed of by courts. Of these, only 31 resulted in conviction, while 935 accused were acquitted. The low conviction rate raises serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of investigation and prosecution in financial crime cases. The RTI disclosure highlights the increasing scale of financial fraud in Nagpur and the limited recovery achieved so far, underscoring the need for stronger preventive mechanisms and more robust prosecution in economic offences.