Duo involved in 10 Cyber frauds arrested
Navi Mumbai: Two frauds with 10 cases of cybercrimes across Maharashtra and other states were recently arrested for a ₹4.71 crore online investment fraud in Vashi. The accused, identified as Vikas Prakash Gawhane, 27, an estate agent from Karanjade, and Manoj Vishnu Kalapad, 22, a BA student from Malegaon, are remanded in judicial custody on Wednesday.
According to the Cyber police, the two men lured a 70-year-old retired government officer into investing in fake IPO and index trading schemes by promising high returns. The victim was contacted through WhatsApp and asked to download a fraudulent mobile application to facilitate transactions, said a police officer.
Between November 2024 and March 2025, they persuaded the victim to transfer ₹4.71 crore to various bank accounts on the pretext of investment. 'On the app, his profit was shown to have tripled, and as the modus operandi of every online scam, when he tried to withdraw the profit, he was asked to pay an additional amount, which made the victim realise that he was duped,' said the investigating officer.
Following a complaint by the retired officer, the accused have been charged under sections 66(D) (punishment for cheating), 319(2) (cheating by impersonation) of IT Act and 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (joint criminal liability) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The Cyber police conducted a technical probe that led to a digital trail to the two accused. They were arrested on June 7 and remanded to four days of police custody for interrogation. It was found that the duo had opened a fake bank account in Panvel under the name 'Mahadev Construction' using forged documents. The police said that there is a third accomplice who is stated to be absconding. The suspects have used fake mobile applications, misleading websites, and WhatsApp groups to deceive potential investors, said a police officer. The interrogation revealed the accused's involvement in several other cyber fraud cases reported across Maharashtra and other states, suggesting the existence of a wider interstate scam network. On Wednesday, the two accused were remanded to judicial custody.
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