Pune: The Cyber Cell of Pimpri-Chinchwad Police has arrested two individuals from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar who were involved in defrauding a Hinjewadi resident of ₹75 lakhs.
The accused lured the victim into investing in a fake share trading app by promising high returns. Investigations have revealed that the suspects' bank accounts had financial transactions worth ₹4 crores.
The arrested individuals, identified as Sajid Shah Kasam Shah (30) and Abhijit Ramrao Shrirame (32), were apprehended by a special team from the Cyber Cell. Both are residents of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The police are currently searching for their remaining accomplices.
The case came to light when the victim filed a complaint at the Hinjewadi Police Station, alleging that he had been defrauded of ₹74 lakhs. The victim, while scrolling through Facebook in July 2024, encountered an advertisement about share trading.
Upon clicking the ad, he was added to a WhatsApp group, where the scammers persuaded him to download a fake trading app. They convinced him that he would receive high returns if he invested through the app.
Believing their claims, the victim transferred ₹74 lakhs to the bank account provided by the scammers. However, soon after the transfer, he realized that he had been duped. The police launched an investigation, and the Cyber Cell conducted a parallel probe into the case.
Through technical analysis, the Cyber Cell discovered that the bank accounts linked to the fraudulent transactions belonged to individuals in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
A team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Vishal Hire was dispatched to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where they arrested Sajid and Abhijit. The police also seized three mobile phones used in the scam.
Further investigations revealed that the suspects' bank account had been involved in 56 other fraud cases, as registered on the "NCCR Portal." Transactions totaling ₹4 crores were carried out through this account. The police are now working to trace other victims and accomplices linked to the case.
The operation was successfully carried out under the supervision of Police Inspector Ravikiran Nale, with assistance from Assistant Inspector Praveen Swami and officers Sagar Poman, Deepak Bhosale, Atul Lokhande, Priya Vasave, Ashok Javare, Shrikant Kabule, and Abhijit Ukirde.