The Kurla police have arrested a man who opened multiple bank accounts and handed them over to cyber criminals in exchange for substantial commissions.
The accused, Amir Firoz Maniyar, is a resident of Neral in Raigad. During interrogation, he confessed to opening 35 bank accounts, which were used by individuals based abroad to withdraw fraudulent funds.
The complaint in the case was lodged by Sanjay Kumar Das, 50, the manager of a bank in Kurla’s Takia ward. The investigation revealed that Maniyar frequently visited the bank with different people to open accounts. When questioned, he claimed he was helping open accounts for their import-export business.
Meanwhile, the bank had been receiving complaints about cyber frauds linked to some accounts opened at this branch. This raised suspicions about Maniyar’s activities. On November 19, the manager questioned him about the accounts he had opened. Maniyar provided details of 10 accounts, claiming they were for legitimate business purposes.
The manager cross-checked these accounts against a list of suspicious accounts flagged for cyber frauds. Five of these accounts, including one belonging to a person named Aman Sheikh, matched. When confronted, Maniyar denied any involvement.
The manager reported the matter to police officer Laxman Patil. Further investigations revealed that since September, Maniyar had opened 35 bank accounts, all of which were issued Visa cards, which were used for transactions, including ATM withdrawals abroad.
The police are currently interrogating Maniyar. They suspect that he may have facilitated similar account openings for cyber criminals in Mumbai and surrounding districts.
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