Cybercrime wing cracks Rs 54L fraud case; four arrested

The cybercrime wing of the UT police has arrested four key accused in a high-value interstate cyber fraud in which a city-based businessman was duped of over Rs 54 lakh. The arrests were made in connection with an FIR dated April 17, 2025, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The operation, led by SP Cyber Crime Geetanjali Khandelwal, with guidance from DSP A Venkatesh and supervision by Inspector Eram Rizvi, involved coordinated raids in Ambarnath (West), Ulhasnagar and Surat, carried out with the assistance of local police.

The complainant, Manish Aggarwal, who runs a steel business, had applied for a Toyota dealership when fraudsters impersonating representatives of Toyota Kirloskar Motors contacted him using fake credentials. They issued a forged Letter of Intent and induced him to transfer Rs 54,16,790 into two bank accounts. Toyota later confirmed the communication was fraudulent.

Those arrested include Mubarak Ali (24), Ankit Jha (25) and Dharmendra Kumar (36) from Thane and Kalyan, and Santosh Yadav (29) from Surat. Investigations revealed that the gang operated through multiple mule accounts to launder funds. Recovered items include bank passbooks, ATM cards, SIM cards and mobile phones.

The police said the accused played distinct roles — opening and selling mule accounts, supplying accounts to handlers and procuring accounts from unsuspecting individuals. The gang’s links to associates in Jharkhand and Bihar are now being probed.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Police have urged the public to verify official communication, avoid unsolicited dealership offers and never transfer money without direct verification. The cybercrime helpline 1930 is available for immediate assistance.