The Panvel Cyber Cell has busted an inter-state gang involved in creating fake accounts to carry out cyber crimes. The gang was operating from the Vasai-Virar area, where police uncovered 52 debit cards from different banks, 18 mobile phones, and other materials during a raid conducted as part of the investigation.
Nine individuals, including two from Vasai-Virar, were arrested. Those who were arrested from Vasai-Virar identified as Sandesh alias Himanshu Dinesh Kumar Jain, 22, from Bhilwara District in Rajasthan, and Sudhir Jain alias Yogesh Parsmal Jain, 34, a resident of Sun Tech West World, Naigaon East, Thane, Palghar.
According to police, the case was registered at the Nhava Sheva police station after a victim was contacted by a woman named Emily via the Tinder mobile app. She lured the complainant with promises of high investment returns and shared a link to the website www.flowertra.com via WhatsApp, asking the victim to open an account. Over time, the fraudsters deceived the victim out of ₹10,40,212, which was transferred into various fake bank accounts. The case was registered under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, with Inspector Dipali Patil of the Panvel Cyber Cell leading the investigation.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the stolen money had been transferred to fake bank accounts linked to a gang operating out of the Vasai-Virar area. Acting on this information, the Panvel Cyber Cell team raided a shop near Vasai Railway Station, where they arrested nine individuals. Among them were Sudhir and Sandesh Jain, who were found with 52 debit cards, 18 mobile phones, 17 checkbooks, 15 SIM cards, 8 Aadhaar cards, 7 PAN cards, 3 driving licenses, 2 voter IDs, and fake business cards.
Further investigation revealed that the two main suspects, Sudhir and Sandesh Jain, were using fake identities and had rented shops in Vasai, Virar, and Goregaon with the help of accomplices. They employed youths from states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to open multiple bank accounts under fake names. The gang forged rental agreements and police verification documents to create current accounts in various banks under the guise of businesses. The SIM cards and debit cards linked to these accounts were sent by train to their associates in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and used for cyber fraud activities.
Public Appeal:
The Navi Mumbai Police urge citizens to avoid sharing personal details such as PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, linked mobile numbers, or bank account information unnecessarily, as these can be exploited for cyber fraud.