Two members of a gang that allegedly defrauded a senior citizen of ₹2.58 crore have been arrested in Navi Mumbai. The accused, Vinod Suryavanshi (34) and Anirudh Ravle alias Guddu (25), were apprehended from a hotel parking lot in Turbhe following a cyber investigation.
The victim, a retail investor, responded to an investment advertisement on Facebook in November 2024, which led him to a WhatsApp group named ‘Axis Stock Exchange Group’. The group, operated by individuals using names such as Karshi Tawadia and Rashi Arora, promised high returns and gained the victim’s trust. The group admin instructed the victim to contact Rashi Arora, who sent a link to download a dubious mobile application named “A Direct”. The victim transferred money from his bank account on multiple occasions.
Investigations revealed that the fraudulently collected funds were routed through a complex web of nearly 2,000 bank accounts—20 in the first layer, 55 in the second, and 1,921 in the third layer—to disguise the money trail. One of these accounts, held with a bank in the Nerul branch, led investigators to a resident of Karave Village, Navi Mumbai, who confessed to having handed over his bank credentials to a friend named Bilal for a “gaming purpose”. The accused were part of a group that collected hundreds of bank accounts from common citizens by offering ₹2,000 commission per account. These accounts were then used to launder the defrauded money.
The police are continuing their investigation to apprehend other members of the gang involved in this cyber fraud.
Sources