The Manpada police in Dombivli have arrested three suspects in a major cyber fraud case involving a whopping Rs 72 lakh. The accused were identified as Sarvesh Kumar, Mahendra Kumar, and Raj Rajput. Sarvesh and Mahendra Kumar were arrested in Delhi, while Raj Rajput was apprehended from a casino in Goa.
The fraud was uncovered when the police traced the bank accounts used by the Kumars to make fraudulent transactions. The victim, 72-year-old Madhukar Parate, a former division manager of a well-known bank and resident of Khoni Palawa area in Dombivli East, was targeted by the fraudsters.
According to Senior Police Inspector Vijay Kadbane, Parate received a call from the fraudsters in February. The callers promised high returns on his investments and coaxed him into making payments. They informed Parate that his investment agent had cheated him, and to recover his losses, he was urged to transfer additional funds.
The fraudsters sent Parate three forms, convincing him that he would receive his dues after paying a certain amount. Between February and March, Parate transferred a total of Rs 72 lakh to them. They continued to demand more, asking for an additional Rs 14 lakh. However, when Parate ran out of money, he turned to his sons, both managers at reputed companies.
One of Parate’s sons soon realized that their father had been duped and alerted the authorities. The family then filed a complaint at the Manpada police station, leading to the investigation and the eventual arrests of the three accused.
The police are now investigating how Parate’s investment details were leaked, suspecting that someone from the bank or his previous contacts may have played a role in the scam. The case is ongoing, with further investigations into the fraudulent network behind this crime.
