In significant update the Rajarampuri police on Tuesday arrested the mastermind of a cyber fraud gang from Pune, who had duped a retired professor of Rs 3.57 crore by threatening to digitally arrest her. This marks the fourth arrest in the case, and police believe that further investigations may uncover additional crimes committed by the gang.
The fraud target was a retired professor Meena Muralidhar Dongre (75) from Kolhapur and who was falsely accused of being involved in money laundering activities. Under the threat of digital arrest, the gang blackmailed her into transferring Rs 3.57 crore to various accounts.
Earlier last week, the Rajarampuri police had arrested three suspects in connection with the case. Interrogation of these individuals led the police to the kingpin, who was eventually traced and detained in Pune. The investigation revealed that while the funds were initially transferred to accounts across various banks in the country, they were eventually consolidated into accounts in Pune. This financial trail enabled the police to track down and apprehend the gang leader.
The investigation also found that the gang used a sophisticated system involving 12 mobile phones and 40 SIM cards to commit their crimes. The arrested leader admitted to buying all the phones and SIM cards used in the scheme. Police have stated that they will confiscate these devices as evidence in the continuing investigation. Shockingly, when police raided the ringleader's hotel room in Pune, they discovered that he had converted one of the rooms into a mock police station and courtroom. Investigators reported that the gang was still carrying out their fraudulent activities even as the raid was happening.