Mumbai: In connection with the cyber fraud case registered at Gamdevi Police Station, the police have arrested another accused, Darshan Bhagwan Mhatre, from Goa. With this latest arrest, the total number of accused in the case has now reached 12. The arrested accused worked for HY Pay and HN, Cambodia-based cyber fraud companies.
Over the past month, Mumbai Police had already arrested 11 suspects involved in the scam. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Mohit Kumar Garg, the accused were part of an international cybercrime syndicate linked to 509 complaints filed across various police stations in India. The Gamdevi Police Station has registered a case against an international cyber fraud syndicate operating from Cambodia, which defrauded ₹1 lakh from a 74-year-old senior citizen. A special investigation team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2, Mumbai) cracked the case, leading to the arrest of 12 suspects from different parts of India. The case was registered under Section 318(4) and 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 66(C) & (D) of the IT Act, 2000, after the complainant lost ₹1 lakh in an online investment scam that promised high returns.
Investigations revealed that the accused convinced the victim to invest money, which was initially transferred to the bank account of Keshav Kulkarni, an accused from Mohol, Solapur, who was the first to be arrested. The amount was then routed to Punjab, near Ludhiana, where it was withdrawn in cash. The cash was later converted into cryptocurrency and sent to Cambodia.
The arrested individuals were found to be operating fraudulent bank accounts on behalf of Cambodian cybercriminals. The accused lured young men from Rajasthan, Solapur, and Punjab by promising them high commission payouts and convincing them to open bank accounts, which were then handed over to Chinese criminals based in Cambodia. Three accused, namely Rajendra Bhagirath Singh, Keshav Kulkarni, and Namdeo Kale, even traveled to Cambodia to hand over bank accounts personally, while others arranged for account holders to stay in India at designated locations to facilitate fraudulent transactions. The accused obtained multiple bank accounts from account holders across India, linked mobile numbers to these accounts, and installed special applications provided by foreign fraudsters to facilitate transactions. They then transferred OTPs received on Indian mobile numbers to Cambodian criminals and laundered funds through multiple bank accounts before converting them into cryptocurrency.
The operation was coordinated from various locations, including Mohol, Goa, Pune, and Jaipur, where the fraudsters had set up temporary accommodations for account holders. These locations were known as "safe houses" and were managed by handlers overseeing financial transactions.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Rajendra Bhagirath Singh alias Kun Hash, Roman Regins alias Pravin Dattu Londhe, Sandip Vishnupant Kakade alias Panu, Aditya Mahendra Kulkarni, Atul Rajendra Koli, Fazal Rasul Ahmed, Piyush Prakash Agarwal, Namdev Vishnu Kale alias Tatya, Shivaji Sahebrao Salunke, Gurvinder Balvinder Singh, Sagar alias Keshav Shantajay Kulkarni, and Darshan Bhagwan Mhatre.
Authorities have so far identified 110 bank accounts linked to the accused, with fraudulent transactions amounting to ₹30 crore. These accounts have been found to be involved in 509 cybercrime complaints registered across India. The syndicate has a history of fraud cases in Delhi, Kolkata, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Gujarat, and other states. The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell continues its investigation, and further arrests are expected.
