In a significant development, the Andheri Railway Police have arrested a wanted accused in connection with the death of a 17-year-old boy who allegedly died by suicide after falling victim to an online fraud. The accused, identified as Binod Rajvanshi (33), was apprehended from Madhya Pradesh. He is originally from Rajasthan and reportedly committed the crime to obtain money due to his addiction.
According to police, the case came to light during the investigation into the accidental death of a 17-year-old boy, Vighnesh, who died after being hit by a local train at Jogeshwari Railway Station in January 2025. Initially registered as an accidental death, the investigation later revealed that the teenager had taken the extreme step due to severe mental distress caused by online fraud. Eleven months later, the railway police registered an offence of cheating under IT provisions and abetment to suicide.
Police said Vighnesh was the son of Nilesh Chaugule, a driver residing in Meghwadi area of Jogeshwari. The boy was studying in Class 12 and also attended coaching classes at Deepak Classes in Sarvoday Nagar, Jogeshwari. After passing his Class 10 examinations, his parents had given him a mobile phone, through which he created several social media accounts.
On January 21, 2025, Vighnesh left home saying he was going to attend his classes but did not return even by 10 pm. His family began searching for him. During the search, Nilesh Chaugule received information that a boy had died in a train accident at Jogeshwari railway station. He rushed to Cooper Hospital with friends and later identified the body as that of his son.
The police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and began their investigation. Vighnesh’s mobile phone had been damaged in the accident, but after it was repaired and handed over to the police, investigators found evidence of online fraud through messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
During the probe, it emerged that the teenager had been lured with an offer of a part-time job involving online rating tasks. Initially, he was given small commissions to gain his trust. Later, he was asked to deposit money for completing various tasks. Vighnesh invested around ₹49,000 and completed the assigned tasks, but the fraudsters never returned his money.
Police said the cyber fraudsters cheated him in the name of online tasks, leaving him in severe mental distress. Investigations revealed that several individuals operating through Telegram accounts — including users identified as Neha Agarwal alias Sharma, Doris Seth, and Kiran Rao Pandit — along with five others, were involved in the fraud.
After learning about the fraud, Vighnesh’s father lodged a complaint against eight accused at the Andheri Railway Police Station. Based on the complaint, police registered a case of financial fraud and abetment to suicide after eleven months.
Following the registration of the case, a special investigation team was formed. Police began tracing the bank accounts to which money had been transferred from the victim’s account. During this process, the name of Binod Rajvanshi surfaced.
Since Rajvanshi was a resident of Rajasthan, a police team was sent there to trace him. However, investigators later learned that he had already been arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police in a separate car theft case and was lodged in judicial custody in a jail in Madhya Pradesh. Subsequently, the railway police team took his custody from Madhya Pradesh for further investigation.