A 31-year-old antheral from Pydhonie country has been arrested for his alleged engagement successful duping a 75-year-old Colaba-based retired Merchant Navy skipper was of Rs 11.16 crore, successful the 2nd biggest cyber fraud of 2024 successful Mumbai, constabulary said connected Wednesday.
According to officials of Mumbai South portion cyber constabulary personnel, 33 debit cards and 12 cheque books of antithetic slope accounts and users were seized from the accused, Kaif Ibrahim Mansoori, a nonmigratory of Mohammed Ali Road.
Police said that portion analysing the transaction details of the slope relationship utilized successful the crime, investigators recovered that 1 pistillate has withdrawn Rs 6 lakh utilizing a cheque. When constabulary traced her and questioned her, she said that she widrew wealth connected Mansoori’s instructions, pursuing which helium was arrested.
Debit cards of 5 much accounts, to which Rs 43 lakh of the Rs 11.16 crore was diverted to, were seized from him, constabulary said.
The fraud
On August 19, 2024, the complainant’s mobile fig was added to a WhatsApp radical that had the sanction of a salient fiscal services company. A pistillate named Anya Smith uploaded accusation connected the radical and asked chap members if they were acceptable to marque an concern successful the share market done their platform. The complainant, a regular capitalist successful the stock market, gave consent.
After this, Smith made him download the company’s app for trading, pursuing which helium started getting messages from Smith and her associates regarding organization relationship trading, OTC trading, IPOs, etc., the complainant stated successful the FIR.
The complainant was made to nonstop wealth to antithetic slope accounts to put successful the banal recommended by Smith and her associates.
Between September 5 and October 19, the complainant sent Rs 11.16 crore successful 22 transactions to assorted slope accounts arsenic directed by the accused persons, the FIR stated.
The complainant was blessed to spot a immense nett successful his virtual relationship successful the trading company’s app. However, erstwhile helium tried to retreat the profit, helium was told to deposit much wealth towards taxes and different charges.
This made him consciousness helium was being cheated. When helium visited the caput bureau of the fiscal services company, helium was shocked to find it was a fraud company. After this, helium approached constabulary and filed a complaint.
The investigation
During preliminary inquiry, it was revealed that the company’s slope accounts successful which the complainant was made to deposit wealth for concern purposes were held by antithetic individuals successful UCO Bank, ICICI Bank, Canara Bank, Bandhan Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, and Catholic Syrian Bank having branches successful Bhopal, Bandra (Mumbai), Nagpur, Surat, Hyderabad, Ghazipur, Lucknow, Banaskantha, Howrah, Bharuch, Bhilai, and Jaipur.
While analysing transactions connected these accounts, constabulary got archetypal pb connected Tuesday and aboriginal arrested Mansoori. They are interrogating him and trying to find retired much details astir his racket members.
In April this year, a elder national from the city’s occidental suburbs was duped of astir Rs 25 crore successful the integer apprehension cyber fraud method, the biggest cyber fraud lawsuit successful Mumbai this year, according to police.
Cyber constabulary officials person appealed to citizens to instantly interaction the nationalist cyber transgression helpline fig 1930 if they are targeted successful immoderate fraud. The sooner victims interaction the helpline, the higher are the chances of mislaid wealth being recovered, officials said.