A 47-year-old man from Navi Mumbai was allegedly duped of Rs 46 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials from the Mumbai cyber police, who threatened to register a case of money laundering and drugs against him, police said on Friday.

The police on Thursday registered a case under section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act against four persons, an official said.

As per the complaint, the accused allegedly posed as officials of the Mumbai cyber police and contacted the victim, a resident of Nerul, on WhatsApp, claiming that they had received a complaint of money laundering and drugs against him, he said.

The accused demanded money from the complainant to avoid a police case, and he transferred Rs 46 lakh to different bank accounts between April 10 and 15, the official said.

No arrests have been made so far, and a probe has been initiated, he said.