Mumbai: A man has been arrested by the Mumbai North Cyber Police in connection with a ₹61 lakh cyber fraud case involving a popular Marathi comedian Sagar Karande. The accused, Akshay Kumar Gopainkumar (26), was found to have received a significant portion of the defrauded money in his bank account, though he is not believed to be the mastermind behind the scam.
The 48-year-old victim, known for his roles in a widely watched Marathi comedy show, resides in Thakur Complex, Kandivali. On February 23, while at home, he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number offering a part-time job. The message included links and promised easy commissions for simple online tasks.
The comedian clicked on the links and was asked to like Instagram videos as part of the job. After completing initial tasks, a small amount of money was deposited into his bank account, reinforcing the illusion of legitimacy. He was then added to a Telegram group, where he was asked to share personal and banking details.
After completing ten tasks, the victim received ₹11,000. Encouraged by the earnings, he continued taking on "paid tasks" which required upfront investment. Fraudsters promised a 30% return on each investment. As the payments kept coming initially, the comedian began investing larger sums.
At one point, he was shown a fictitious profit of ₹27.51 lakh in the system. When he tried to withdraw the amount, he was told his "task credit score" was only 80 out of 100 and needed to be full before any withdrawal. In pursuit of the required score, he invested an additional ₹19.70 lakh.
Once the score reached 100, the fraudsters claimed his balance had grown further but he needed to pay 30% as "tax" before it could be released. Believing the claims, the comedian transferred more money, eventually losing a total of ₹61 lakh. Realizing the fraud, he approached the cyber cell and lodged a complaint.
Following a technical investigation, police traced the transactions to Akshay Kumar Gopainkumar. During interrogation, it was revealed that he had knowingly allowed cyber fraudsters to use his bank account. He retained a commission and transferred the bulk of the money to the actual masterminds.
Police have identified others who provided bank accounts for similar scams and are working to trace and arrest them. Gopainkumar was produced before the Borivali court, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody.
