Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police arrest 3 in connection with “Boss Scam” of Rs 2.20 crore
Police said the student, Sanchay Parag Chavan (20), had provided five bank accounts to the Panvel-based duo, Ramesh Kumar Puniya (24) and Prakash Panvar (20), both from Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Cybercriminals allegedly manipulated an account executive at the automobile dealership into transferring Rs2.2crore between Aug 13 and 14 posing as the firm’s director. The dealer (54) lodged a complaint with the Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police on Aug 17. The remaining Rs1.33 crore was transferred to different bank accounts in Panvel, Kolkata and Odisha.
The investigation revealed that one of the bank accounts in Panvel belonged to the microbiology student Chavan.
Pune: A microbiology student from Dombivli in Thane district and two gas stove repair workers from Panvel in Raigad district were arrested for allegedly facilitating a Rs 2.2-crore “CEO fraud” targeting an automobile dealership in Bavdhan last month. He said the police managed to trace one of the gas stove mechanics to Rajasthan, which helped them track down and arrest the duo at their house in Panvel. On his instructions, they used to operate the mule bank accounts in Panvel,” he said. Poman said that to avoid being traced by the police, the duo used to withdraw cash from the mule accounts. We are searching for him,” Poman said.
A Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police team led by senior police inspector Ravikiran Nale made the arrests. The cyber police managed to freeze Rs87 lakh of the defrauded amount. A cyber police team led by police sub-inspector Sagar Poman took Chavan into custody from Dombivli recently. “The duo’s handler is based in Rajasthan. They would deposit small amounts into their handler’s bank account through cash deposit machines (CDMs), while large amounts were transferred through hawala transactions. “The duo’s handler is in contact with cybercriminals based abroad.
Investigation Uncovers Cyber Fraud Scheme Involving Local Workers
Authorities have confirmed that an investigation into cyber fraud has linked three individuals: Chavan, Puniya, and Panvar. Chavan allegedly received funds from victims of the fraud in his bank accounts. He then withdrew the money, either through checks or ATMs, and handed it over to Puniya and Panvar.
Poman, a spokesperson for the investigation, reported difficulties in tracing Puniya and Panvar. Attempts to contact them through Chavan were unsuccessful, as they refused to meet him for several days. Investigators then reached out to the gas agency where Puniya and Panvar were employed, discovering that the duo had relocated to Panvel from Rajasthan just two months prior. Their exact residence remains unknown to their colleagues at the agency.