In a significant cyber fraud case, Maman Munshi, a 32-year-old resident of Juhu, was arrested for allegedly duping a Navy official of Rs23 lakh by enticing him to invest in the share market through a fraudulent app. The arrest was made by the South Cyber police.
Munshi reportedly opened bank accounts in the names of potential victims and directed their information to accomplices in Surat. These accomplices then forwarded the details to the mastermind of the scam operating from Dubai, UAE. Munshi, who runs a hotel on Mira Road and resides in Indira Nagar, Juhu Tara Road, was presented in court on Sunday and has been remanded to police custody until September 25.
The victim, Dinesh Yadav, a 36-year-old Navy officer residing in Navy Nagar, Naval Station Karanja, Raigad, reported that the fraud took place between May 24 and July 30. He was contacted by individuals named Avinash Sharma, Karan Modi, and Akshata, who introduced him to stock market trading and added him to a WhatsApp group.
In the group, members shared daily stock market profits, which built Yadav’s trust in the scheme. He was then directed to a link that led him to the fake app, where he was shown fabricated profits from trading activities. Following the instructions of the accused, Yadav deposited a total of Rs22,91,849 into various bank accounts.
Yadav realized he had been duped in August when he attempted to withdraw his funds but was unable to do so. Upon contacting the accused, he was pressured to invest even more. This prompted him to approach the cyber police, leading to the registration of a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Investigations revealed that the money was transferred to three private banks and one nationalized bank, with accounts belonging to Shoaib Anthony, Vikas Dubey, Sunil Kumawat, and another individual linked to an online food delivery app. During further inquiries, it was discovered that these accounts had been opened in their names by Munshi.
After his role in the scheme was clarified, Munshi was called for questioning at the cyber police station and subsequently arrested.
