In a major breakthrough, the Cyber Crime Unit of the Crime Branch has arrested two individuals—Sachin Kolan and Sameer Ali—in connection with a cyber fraud case that amounted to over Rs. 3.64 crore.
Sachin Kolan, a 39-year-old from Nagda, Ujjain, was arrested on January 21, 2025. During the investigation, it was revealed that Kolan had received Rs. 8.82 lakh from the total defrauded sum of Rs. 1.06 crore. On January 22, 2025, Sameer Ali, a 36-year-old resident of Ujjain, was also arrested after it was discovered that Rs. 34.90 lakh had been credited to his account from the fraud’s total sum of over Rs. 2.58 crore.
The fraud was reported by a Senior Scientist from Bhubaneswar, who fell victim to a sophisticated scam involving impersonation by cybercriminals. The accused initially posed as customs officers and then as officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch, claiming that the scientist’s identity had been used in a drug trafficking case. Through a series of manipulative calls and video conferences, the fraudsters convinced the victim to transfer significant sums of money to multiple accounts under the pretense of legal investigations.
In total, the victim was defrauded of Rs. 1.06 crore between August 9 and 14, 2024. The money was transferred to accounts held by various individuals, including the two arrested suspects, Kolan and Ali.
