Pimpri Chinchwad: Cyber Police Seize Over Rs 72 Lakh in Fraud Bust; Accused Impersonated NCB Officials
Pimpri Chinchwad, 23rd October 2024: The Cyber Police of Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC) have arrested four online fraudsters who duped citizens out of lakhs of rupees by threatening them with claims that a courier or package sent in their name contained drugs. The fraudsters also impersonated officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). These arrests were made in Pune District, and all the accused are natives of Rajasthan.
The Cyber Police arrested Mohammed Ilias Mohammad Sadiq Kalal (36), Mohammad Shahid Ahmed Ali (25), Puran Singh Ratan Singh (24), and Najil Khatri Manwar Ali Khatri (29), all residents of Rajasthan. A complaint against them was lodged at Wakad Police Station, under PCPC. The case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 318(3) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act of 2000.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode, a resident of Wakad received a video call on Instagram, where the accused claimed to be from the Mumbai Customs Department, informing him that 100 grams of drugs had been found in a courier addressed to him. The call was then transferred to another fraudster posing as a senior officer from the NCB. The victim was coerced into obtaining a “clearance certificate” and ended up paying Rs 12,22,133 through multiple accounts. The victim reported the incident to Wakad Police Station, after which the case was transferred to the newly formed Cyber Police Station.
During the investigation, it was discovered that one of the bank accounts used in the crime belonged to an auto-rickshaw driver from Nashik. A police team went to Nashik and learned that the money was being withdrawn by an individual arriving in a black Scorpio car. Further probing revealed that some suspects from Rajasthan had been residing in the Pune District for several days. Their location was traced to Pisoli, Pune, where a raid was conducted, resulting in the arrest of the accused.
During the raid, police seized 18 mobile phones of various brands, 90 SIM cards, one laptop, 60 bank passbooks, 60 ATM cards, two passports, 15 Aadhaar cards, three PAN cards, three driving licenses, Rs 1,700 in cash, a Toyota Fortuner, and a Mahindra Scorpio car. The total value of the seized items is estimated at Rs 72,17,200. The accused confessed to committing similar frauds across the country, and the Cyber Police are continuing their investigation, suspecting the involvement of other accomplices.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of Pimpri Chinchwad Commissioner of Police Vinoy Kumar Choubey, Joint Commissioner of Police Dr. Shashikant Mahavarkar, Additional Commissioner of Police Vasant Pardeshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Doiphode, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime 1) Dr. Vishal Hire.
The police team, led by Senior Police Inspector Ravikiran Nale, included Assistant Police Inspector Praveen Swami, Police Sub-Inspectors Sagar Poman, Vidya Patil, Vaibhav Patil, and Prakash Katkade, as well as Police Constables Hemant Kharat, Deepak Bhosale, Deepak Mane, Atul Lokhande, Pritam Bhalerao, Abhijeet Ukirde, Shrikant Kabule, Saurabh Ghate, Sandeep Tekale, Nilesh Deshmukh, Suranjan Chavan, Mukund Lotake, Priya Wasave, and Deepali Chavan, all from the Cyber Police Station.
