Mumbai News: Cops Arrest Trio for Opening Fake Bank Accounts Under ‘Ladki Bahin’ Scheme for Cyber Fraud

Police detained three scammers who allegedly opened bank accounts belonging to a number of people, including men, by promising them financial assistance through the Ladki Bahin Scheme and using them for money laundering and parking expenses obtained from cybercrimes. These accounts appear to have been used for transactions totalling crores of rupees, many of which are connected to money laundering, cyber fraud, trade, and the conversion of black money. According to investigators, the accused used to "sell" their bank accounts to cybercriminals after luring the credulous, primarily low-income groups.

A preliminary examination found that some 2,500 bank accounts were opened, some of which were purportedly sold to money launderers and cybercriminals, according to a Juhu police station official. Police responded quickly, freezing over 100 active bank accounts connected to the scam and seizing Rs 19,43,779 from them.

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According to an official, the majority of victims are men who were promised Rs 1,500 in monthly government assistance via the Ladki Bahin Yojana, despite the fact that the program only serves eligible women. Avinash Kamble, 25, and two other people were arrested after a labourer from Vile Parle's Nehru Nagar slum filed a complaint with the police, exposing the scam.

Police claimed that Kamble would approach slum residents and offer to open bank accounts in exchange for Rs 1,000. "The gang collected SIM cards and documents, including passbooks, Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards linked to the bank accounts, which Kamble later sold for Rs 4,000 each," said police.