Malvani Police have arrested two individuals for their involvement in a large-scale cyber fraud amounting to Rs 3.42 crore. The accused, identified as Abhishek Pandey and Akash Vishwakarma, allegedly misused documents collected from job seekers to open bank accounts under the names of fake companies. These accounts were later handed over to cyber fraudsters, who used them to conduct online scams.
Following their arrest, both accused have been remanded to police custody by the court. The case came to light after the GST department issued a notice regarding suspicious financial activity in one of these accounts. Upon investigation, it was found that a staggering Rs 3.42 crore had been transacted through accounts opened using fraudulent documents.
The police have seized significant evidence during the operation, including 204 SIM cards, 115 passbooks from various banks, and 271 debit and credit cards. The accused were allegedly receiving Rs 5,000 as commission for every transaction carried out through these fraudulent bank accounts.
According to police sources, the accused were operating in the Malvani area of Malad, where they lured several unemployed youths with fake job promises. Under the pretext of processing employment applications, they collected personal documents such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, ration cards, and bank details from the candidates.
A 20-year-old woman from Malvani was among the victims who approached the accused for a job. She had submitted her personal documents during the application process, which were later misused to open a current account under the name of a fake company. The woman became suspicious after receiving a notice from the GST department regarding large financial transactions in the account linked to her name.
Upon realizing she had been duped, the woman approached Malvani Police and lodged a complaint against unknown persons. She named Abhishek Pandey and Akash Vishwakarma as the individuals who had collected her documents. Based on this lead, police launched a special operation to trace and apprehend the duo.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to collecting documents from multiple job seekers under false pretenses and opening bank accounts for use in online fraud. These accounts were then passed on to cybercriminal gangs, with whom they were in regular contact. Police suspect that the duo is part of a larger cyber crime network operating across different regions.
The police have also recovered printers, mobile phones, laptops, and numerous photocopies of personal documents from the residences of the accused. Abhishek is a resident of Borivali, while Akash hails from Kandivali. Further investigation is underway to trace other members of the syndicate and uncover the full extent of the operation.
Authorities have urged citizens to be cautious while sharing personal documents, especially in response to unsolicited job offers.