In a major breakthrough, the Central Cyber Police Station of Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested an individual involved in a cyber fraud of ₹5.87 crore from Pune. The police investigation revealed that ₹1.25 crore from the defrauded amount was transferred into the accused’s bank account. The fraud was executed through a parcel scam.
The accused has been identified as Vijay Gautam Ghodke, aged 37, a resident of Undri in Pune. According to police sources, Ghodke is married and currently unemployed. He previously ran a sand-selling business, which he had to shut down due to unknown reasons. The police are currently probing deeper into his role and other possible accomplices involved in the fraud.
As per the Central Cyber Police, the victim in this case is a 47-year-old woman who works as a health advisor and resides in Dadar East, Mumbai. She was duped after receiving a call from an unknown person, who claimed to be a representative of FedEx Express Courier. The caller informed her that a courier in her name was being sent to Iran and had been intercepted by customs officials. The victim was then frightened by the claim that the parcel contained MD drugs.
Using this scare tactic, the fraudsters coerced the woman into transferring a total of ₹5.87 crore across nine transactions between March 30 and April 4. The accused also conducted video calls with the victim, further manipulating her and keeping her under virtual "house arrest."
Once the Central Cyber Police Station received a written complaint, a team led by Senior Police Inspector Mousami Patil, along with Police Inspector Ravikiran Dorle and API Mansing Vachkal, initiated a technical investigation. Based on the findings, the team tracked down and arrested Ghodke from Pune. He was produced in court, where the magistrate remanded him to police custody for further interrogation.
The investigation is ongoing to uncover further details and identify other individuals involved in the scam.