In a swift operation, the Cyber Crime Unit of Pimpri Chinchwad Police arrested five individuals in just 24 hours for allegedly defrauding an engineer of Rs1.11 crore through a fraudulent online investment scheme.
According to DCP Shivaji Pawar, the victim was lured into the scam via WhatsApp messages from multiple unknown numbers. The accused promoted a fake investment platform posing as “Ali Express,” promising high returns of 10–15%.
Initially, the victim received small returns, which built trust and prompted him to invest more — eventually transferring over Rs1.11 crore into various bank accounts shared by the fraudsters.
When the victim attempted to withdraw his funds, he was asked to pay supposed “government taxes.” This raised suspicion, leading him to file a complaint with the Cyber Police.
Taking immediate cognisance, Police Commissioner Vinay Kumar Choube ordered an urgent investigation. The technical probe revealed a withdrawal of Rs2 lakh from an AU Small Finance Bank account in Nagpur, which led officers to the accused.
The prime suspect, Sharad Dilip Saraf of Hadapsar, Pune, was arrested in Nagpur. His interrogation led to the arrest of Suraj Saikar and Sanket Nhawale from Nagpur and Pune, respectively.
Further investigation revealed that the group, including Yogiraj Jadhav and Nagesh Gange, operated multiple mule accounts to receive and withdraw the scam money. They then converted the funds into USDT cryptocurrency to obscure the money trail and transfer it back to Indian currency.
All five accused are currently in custody, and further investigations are underway to uncover potential links to a broader cyber fraud network.
