The West Region Cyber Police Station in Mumbai has dismantled a sophisticated interstate cyber fraud racket and arrested six individuals for duping a reputed company of Rs1.93 crore by impersonating the company director via WhatsApp.
Between April 12 and 15, a senior employee received WhatsApp messages from an unknown number claiming to be the company’s director. Trusting the messages, the employee transferred ₹1.93 crore to an ICICI Bank account. Investigations revealed that the account was already linked to 11 other complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
The six arrested are:
Shubham Bajirao Kunjir (Pune) – Beneficiary bank account holder
Akshay Shelke (Nashik)
Ujjwal Singh (Andheri, Mumbai)
Shubhamkumar Pardeshi alias Rajput (Nashik)
Aditya Shinde alias Lucifer (Goa) – Coordinator & middleman
Ayarn Mishra alias Sinchan Bohra alias Aaru (Uttar Pradesh) – Supplied banking data and linked with Chinese cybercriminals
The gang’s strategy included:
Creating fake SIM cards
Opening bank accounts using false identities
Procuring banking kits and internet credentials
Sharing credentials and OTPs via Telegram to Chinese cybercriminals
Converting stolen money into cryptocurrency (USDT) and foreign currency to launder funds
The Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch seized:
28 mobile phones
1 laptop
16 SIM cards
13 cheque books
8 debit cards
1 pistol and 4 live rounds
A case has been registered under:
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 61, 319(2), 318(4), 238
IT Act Sections 66C, 66D
Arms Act Sections 3, 25
Police are now tracing international links, especially connections to Chinese cyber gangs, and investigating crypto laundering chains.
