A man was arrested on Friday for allegedly defrauding a family of Rs10.64 lakh by luring them into investing in the stock market through him, promising lucrative returns. The accused, identified as Vaibhav Ganpat Thombare (38), collected the money through several bank accounts that were allegedly accessible to cyber fraudsters. He was produced in court and is now in judicial custody.
According to the police, the incident began when a 35-year-old man from the Motilal Nagar area of Goregaon West filed a complaint. His wife, one of the victims, started receiving numerous stock market investment offers on her mobile phone. Initially dismissing them, her interest grew after she saw some initial returns and decided to invest Rs2 lakh through Thombare. To her surprise, she received quick returns, which increased her trust in the scheme.
Encouraged by her experience, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law also decided to invest. Thombare added all three to a WhatsApp group he managed, where he regularly shared stock market updates. One message promised that investments would double, leading the family to transfer Rs10.64 lakh to a bank account provided by Thombare.
When the expected returns did not materialize, the family reached out to Thombare, but he stopped responding. The family grew suspicious and, after failing to recover their money, they filed a complaint with the Goregaon Police Station. The police then registered a case under fraud charges and sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Following a special operation, police apprehended Thombare, who had been evading arrest for seven months. During questioning, it was revealed that he had provided bank account details to cyber fraudsters, allowing them to access the funds. The money from the defrauded family had been funneled into these accounts, confirming the involvement of cyber criminals in the scam.
