Nagpur: A series of actions by the Nagpur Cyber Police has exposed the scale of organised cyber fraud, with investigations uncovering a network of mule bank accounts linked to 388 complaints involving more than ₹103 crore across Maharashtra and other states. In three separate cases, police have arrested 23 accused, helped secure the return of ₹80 lakh to a company cheated of ₹4.45 crore and frozen the entire ₹1.30 crore defrauded from another victim.
The cases highlight the different methods allegedly used by cybercriminals, including impersonating company directors on WhatsApp, sending fraudulent payment instructions and routing money through multiple bank accounts to conceal its trail.
Company accountant duped of ₹4.45 crore
In one case, an accountant working for Kesar India Ltd, a company based in Sadar, received WhatsApp messages from an account displaying the photograph of the company’s director. An unidentified accused had allegedly hacked a mobile phone and impersonated the director to obtain information about the company’s bank balance.
The accountant was then instructed to urgently transfer ₹4.45 crore to a bank account in Mumbai. Believing the message to be a genuine instruction from the director, he transferred the amount through RTGS.
The fraud came to light when the accountant contacted the director and discovered that the transaction had not been authorised. Cyber Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Twelve accused have been arrested in connection with the case. Police have succeeded in securing the return of ₹80 lakh to the complainant, and a chargesheet has been filed before the court.
Entire ₹1.30 crore frozen in another case
In a separate incident, complainant Amit Pradip Ghate allegedly received a WhatsApp message from an account displaying his employer’s photograph. The sender instructed him to transfer money to a specified bank account.
Trusting the message, Ghate transferred ₹1.30 crore through RTGS. He realised he had been cheated after speaking to his employer.
Cyber Police registered a case and initiated immediate action, resulting in the entire ₹1.30 crore being frozen in the recipient bank account. The amount is expected to be returned to the complainant after the required court proceedings.
Mule account racket linked to 388 complaints
In another major action, Cyber Police acted on confidential information to uncover an alleged racket involved in arranging mule bank accounts for cybercriminals.
Eleven accused have been arrested in this case. Investigators found that the accused allegedly worked in coordination to receive proceeds of cyber fraud and transfer the money through other bank accounts to facilitate its disposal.
The probe linked the network to 388 complaints across Maharashtra and other states, involving a total of ₹103,13,94,458, or approximately ₹103.14 crore.
Thousands of requests processed
The Cyber Police also reported progress in processing requests under the MRM and GRM mechanisms.
Under MRM, police have received 10,774 requests and taken action on 7,028. An amount of ₹3.20 crore has been restored, while ₹1.75 crore has been returned to victims. The process of returning the remaining restored funds is underway.
Under GRM, 988 requests have been received, of which action has been taken on 861.
Police have advised companies and individuals to verify urgent payment instructions directly with the concerned person through an independent communication channel. A familiar name or photograph on WhatsApp should not be treated as proof of identity.
