Nagpur: Two youths from Nagpur’s Mominpura area were allegedly held captive in Assam and threatened with being burnt alive unless a ransom of ₹15 lakh was paid, in a case linked to the suspected supply of mule bank accounts for cyber fraud. The ordeal reportedly took place between October 14 and 16, following a dispute involving a bank account allegedly used to route suspicious transactions.
Acting under the guidance of Police Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3) Rahul Madne, a team led by Tehsil Police Inspector Sanjay Mendhe rescued the youths from Chirang district in Assam. Police arrested Nitin Dilip Wanjari (28), a resident of Lashkaribagh in Nagpur, for his alleged role in the crime. The suspected mastermind, identified as Rocky and reportedly from Assam, escaped and remains at large.
According to Tehsil police, Hasanain Bilal Asrar Ahmed (23), brother of Iqra Tabassum (24), a resident of Bakra Mandi in Mominpura, travelled to Guwahati with his friend Roshan alias Zuber Rajesh Bundel (25), a resident of Takiya Diwanshah, on October 11.
Bilal reportedly told his sister that he had procured a Bank of India account belonging to Sumit Sahare, a Bhandara resident, and expected to receive ₹20,000 in exchange for it.
On October 14, Bilal contacted Iqra and said Sahare had removed the SIM card linked to the bank account, which reportedly held ₹54 lakh. The development allegedly triggered fears of financial loss and possible retaliation by Rocky, who was suspected of being connected to the account.
Concerned about her brother’s safety, Iqra travelled to Bhandara and appealed to Sahare not to withdraw money from the account.
Meanwhile, Rocky allegedly confined Bilal and Zuber and threatened to burn them alive. During a video call, he reportedly abused the two youths and initially demanded ₹28 lakh. The ransom demand was later reduced to ₹15 lakh, payable in USDT, a cryptocurrency token pegged to the US dollar.
After Iqra lodged a complaint, Tehsil police registered a case and began an investigation. The police laid a trap and arrested Wanjari, a suspected associate of the alleged mastermind.
Using information obtained during the investigation and mobile phone location details, a police team travelled to Chirang district in Assam. With assistance from local police, the team raided the location and rescued both youths safely.
Rocky, however, managed to escape. Police are making efforts to trace and arrest him.
DCP Rahul Madne confirmed that the rescued youths were brought back safely to Nagpur and handed over to their families. Further investigation is underway to establish the roles of the accused and examine the alleged connection with mule bank accounts used in cyber fraud.
