The Pimpri-Chinchwad Cyber Police have arrested Marathi film producer Shivam Balkrishna Samvatsarkar, 34, for allegedly providing mule bank accounts to Chinese cybercrime networks involved in major online frauds.
A resident of Erandwane in Pune, Samvatsarkar was arrested following an investigation into a share market scam that defrauded a software engineer of Rs57.7 lakh. The victim had encountered a stock market promotional video online and was lured into installing a fraudulent investment app. He was promised high returns and manipulated into transferring money under the illusion of earning Rs5.15 crore in profits.
Upon tracing the money trail, police identified a suspicious bank account registered under Balaji Enterprises—an account opened by Samvatsarkar. Although he initially denied any involvement, claiming to be solely a film producer, further investigation revealed damning evidence.
Authorities discovered that Samvatsarkar was in contact with a Chinese cybercriminal operating under the alias ‘Bambino’. He had knowingly allowed his bank accounts to be used in at least 15 different cyber frauds, with total deposits amounting to Rs86.43 lakh. Police stated that Samvatsarkar earned a 10% commission for allowing the transactions.
Investigations are ongoing, with two more bank accounts linked to the accused under scrutiny. Officials are now expanding their probe into the broader Chinese cybercrime network operating through Indian mule accounts.
