Mumbai Cyber Cell Arrests Father-Son Duo For Allegedly Cheating Malad Merchant Of Rs 26.5 Lakh

The Cyber Cell of the North Regional Division has arrested a father-son duo for allegedly cheating a 55-year-old textile merchant from Malad of Rs 26.5 lakh by threatening him with arrest and falsely linking him to a case involving Adil Gaur, an accused in the Pulwama terror attack.

The accused have been identified as Atul Gaikwad, 48, and his son, Vineet Gaikwad, 24. According to the police investigation, the duo allegedly facilitated the fraud by opening a bank account in the name of a fictitious company and sharing its details with cybercriminals to receive the cheated money. Atul, his wife and Vineet were listed as directors of the company.

Fraudsters Posed As CID Officers, Threatened Merchant With Arrest

According to the police, the complainant, Dhanesh Shah, who owns Shraddha Garments, received a call on August 27 from a person claiming to be a CID officer.

The caller allegedly told Shah that his Aadhaar card had been found during a raid at the residence of Adil Gaur, who was allegedly involved in a Rs 95-crore scam. The caller further claimed that Shah's identity had been used to open a bank account through which transactions worth Rs 7 crore had been conducted.

Shah was accused of receiving Rs 5 lakh and a 15% commission for facilitating the opening of the account. Despite denying any association with Gaur or having a bank account in Kashmir, Shah was allegedly threatened with arrest.

Fake Documents Used To Extract Personal And Financial Details

The fraudsters allegedly conducted interrogations over video calls and sought details of Shah's family members, bank accounts, jewellery and investments.

They also sent him documents bearing purported signatures of senior Supreme Court and Mumbai Crime Branch officials to make the allegations appear credible.

The callers subsequently instructed Shah to pledge his family's gold and transfer the money to a designated bank account. They assured him that the amount would be returned once the investigation was completed.

Fearing arrest, Shah complied with their instructions and transferred Rs 26.5 lakh.

Police Trace Money To Account Linked To Gaikwads

When the callers stopped responding and failed to return the money, Shah approached the police and the Cyber Cell.

During the investigation, the police traced the transferred funds to a private bank account linked to the Gaikwads. Vineet was arrested first, followed by his father, after investigators allegedly uncovered their role in facilitating the fraud.

According to the police, the accused allegedly received a commission for providing the bank account to the cybercriminals, enabling them to receive the cheated money.

Case Registered, Further Investigation Underway

A case has been registered under relevant legal provisions pertaining to cheating, extortion and the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway to establish the full extent of the alleged fraud and the involvement of other persons.