The Cyber Police Station of Pimpri Chinchwad has arrested 11 individuals connected to three major cyber fraud cases that defrauded victims of a combined Rs2.11 crore. These arrests were made within five days from locations including Silvassa, Solapur, Dharashiv, Ahilyanagar, and Pune International Airport.
Victims were lured through WhatsApp by scammers posing as stock market experts promising high returns on IPO investments. The fraudsters convinced victims to deposit amounts averaging Rs3.3 lakh via a fraudulent platform ” The funds were routed through accounts in Bandhan Bank and UCO Bank, with Rs2.1 lakh traced to Bandhan Bank in Silvassa.
Following technical intelligence, Salman Rafiq Khan (32), Bunty Rameshbhai Panchal (30), Intakaf Idris Khan (36), and Suraj Krishna Singh (34) — all residents of Silvassa — were arrested.
In a related case, a woman using the alias “Anamika” befriended a victim on the Truly Madly dating app, promising marriage while coaxing investments in property and stock trading. She siphoned off Rs1.55 crore to multiple accounts. Amit Ashok Ekbote from Solapur, who admitted to his account’s misuse in the fraud, led to the arrests of Shubham Chandrakant Mantha (25), Swapnil Chandulal Baheti (35), and Prashik Uttam Navghare (26), all apprehended at Pune International Airport while allegedly heading to Nepal.
Additionally, a Rs52.59 lakh “digital arrest” scam victimized another complainant. Earlier arrests of Akash Pathare and Avinash Tungar uncovered key suspect Vishal Palve, who managed numerous bank accounts and converted stolen funds into USDT cryptocurrency using Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs). Palve was arrested at Ahilyanagar with 9 mobile phones, 23 bank passbooks, 35 debit cards, Rs6,400 cash, and a notebook.
Further arrests include Akshay Sadashiv Galwe and Mayur Sunil Anecha from Ahilyanagar.
The accused exploited decentralized wallets to hide their identities and transferred stolen money abroad through cryptocurrency channels, subsequently reinvesting the laundered funds into various markets.
