Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad Cyber Cell Arrests Thane Resident in Rs 20 Lakh Online Fraud Case

Reported By Varad Bhatkhande

Pimpri Chinchwad 21st August 2024: The Cyber Cell of Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC) has arrested a cybercriminal who defrauded a resident of more than Rs 20 lakh online by luring them with promises of high returns in share market trading. Pimpri Chinchwad Police have detained one of the accused from Ulhasnagar in Thane District. This incident occurred in the Kiwale area.

The victim initially reported the incident online and later to Dehu Road Police Station. The case was then transferred to the Cyber Cell. The Cyber Cell has arrested Ajay Kumar Kishanlal Aarya, a resident of Ulhasnagar. According to the Cyber Cell, there are other accused involved as well. A case has been registered under IPC Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (Cheating and Dishonestly Inducing Delivery of Property).

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode, a resident of Kiwale was approached by the accused on Instagram, where they were sent a link with the name ‘Geojit Financial Securities Limited’. The complainant joined a WhatsApp group with the same name, where they were assured that the company was approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Trusting the online perpetrators, the complainant invested Rs 20,24,000, transferring the money to various bank accounts. When neither the returns nor the invested money were received, the complainant made an online complaint, followed by a report at Dehu Road Police Station. The Cyber Cell then took charge of the case.

Since multiple bank accounts were used to receive money from the complainant, tracking down the criminals proved challenging. A technical investigation of the bank accounts revealed that one of the accused resided in Ulhasnagar, Thane. Assistant Police Inspector Seema Mundhe, along with Police Constables Atul Lokhande, Saurabh Ghate, and Priya Wasave, went to Thane, where they searched and arrested Ajay Kumar from Ulhasnagar. Initially, Ajay Kumar provided vague answers during the interrogation. Later, he confessed to the crime, revealing that he acted under the instructions of Parman Sajid Ali Khan and Nikhil Selwani. Ajay Kumar admitted to receiving money in his Kotak Mahindra Bank account and withdrawing funds from ATMs using his card.

Given his active involvement in the crime, Ajay Kumar was arrested and handed over to Dehu Road Police Station for further investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and the whereabouts of the other accused, who also took some of the invested money, are being pursued.

This operation was conducted under the guidance 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 (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime 1) Dr Vishal Hire. The team, led by Police Inspector Ravikiran Nale, included Assistant Police Inspectors Praveen Swami and Seema Mundhe; Police Sub Inspector Sagar Poman; and Police Constables Priya Wasave, Atul Lokhande, Saurabh Ghate, Deepak Bhosale, Nitesh Bichewar, Shrikant Kabule, Swapnil Khanase, Krishna Gawali, Vishal Gaikwad, Baliram Navale, and Abhijeet Ukirde—all from the Cyber Cell, PCPC.