Mumbai: The Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg Police have busted a cyber fraud racket that duped victims of ₹70 lakh by impersonating senior police officer Sadanand Date and falsely claiming to be from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Police have arrested six accused, who are also linked to a ₹58 crore “digital arrest” scam. A total of 31 offences have been registered against them across various states.
Accused Threatened Victims With Terror Case Allegations
On September 25, the complainant received a phone call from three men claiming to be officials from ATS and NIA. They told the victim that a case had been registered against them under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and that their name appeared in connection with a terrorist case.
To intimidate the victim, one of the accused even posed as senior IPS officer Sadanand Date, saying, “I am Sadanand Date speaking.” Terrified, the victim transferred ₹70 lakh to the accused. In a similar manner, the same gang duped another man of ₹40 lakh, claiming his name appeared on a chit found with a terrorist involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Six Accused Arrested In Connection With Multi-State Scam
The arrested accused have been identified as Sureshkumar Patel (51), Musran Kumbhar (30), Chirag Chaudhary (29), Ankit Shah (40), Vasudev alias Vivaan Barot (27) and Yuvraj alias Marco Laxmansingh Sikarwar (34).
During the probe, police managed to freeze 15 bank accounts and recover ₹10 lakh. According to officers, the gang had been operating across 13 states and used accounts of financially distressed businessmen for laundering funds.
Mastermind Linked To International Cybercriminal Network
Yuvraj alias Marco is believed to be the mastermind of the racket. He allegedly maintained direct contact with international cybercriminals and has been active in cyber fraud for the past three years but had never been arrested before. Zone 4 Deputy Commissioner of Police Ragasudha R. said the investigation is ongoing to trace more victims and money trails. Police suspect the gang may have duped several others using similar tactics across the country.
Frozen Accounts And Partial Recovery Of Funds
Police have traced the fraudulent funds to 15 bank accounts, frozen them, and recovered ₹10.5 lakh. According to DCP (Zone 4) Ragasudha, the main accused, Yuvraj alias Marco Sikarwar, has been arrested along with Suresh Kumar Patel, Musran Kumbhar, Chirag Chaudhary, Ankit Shah, and Vasudev Barot.
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Investigations revealed that Yuvraj had been involved in cyber fraud for the past three years and had managed to evade arrest until now. The probe has also uncovered the gang’s links to at least 31 cybercrime cases across 13 states.
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