Ankur Kedia, a 25-year-old resident from Mira Road, was arrested by the north cyber police on Friday for allegedly assisting cyber criminals in defrauding a retired teacher of Rs23 lakh. Kedia allegedly provided his bank account details to the criminals, who used it to transfer the funds taken from the teacher.
The victim, a 54-year-old retired teacher from Malad, discovered a share trading application while browsing the internet. She was contacted by Kedia, who invited her to join a WhatsApp group where participants discussed share investments and their potential profits.
From May 12 to July 4, Kedia, acting as the group administrator, convinced her to invest Rs23 lakh, promising significant returns. Initially, the teacher saw some profits, which boosted her confidence. However, when she tried to withdraw her funds, she was unable to do so. The administrator then asked for more money, which raised her suspicions, and she refused to invest further.
When she demanded the return of her initial investment, she was removed from the group, and her messages went unanswered. Left with no way to retrieve her money, the teacher filed a complaint with the cyber police. Authorities registered a case under the Information Technology Act and began investigating the account where the funds had been transferred, leading to Kedia’s arrest.