Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has busted a nationwide cyber fraud racket operating through the banned online gaming app ‘Reddy Anna’, arresting 12 men linked to 393 cases amounting to Rs 84 crore. The syndicate was allegedly running large-scale online scams involving fake jobs, stock market frauds, and illegal gaming.
How The Racket Was Exposed
The investigation began after the arrest of Imran Usmani Minhaj Shaikh (22), a resident of Nerul Sector-18, who had opened 60 to 70 fake bank accounts used by cyber fraudsters to launder money through the ‘Reddy Anna’ gaming platform. Shaikh was detained on October 14 near CBD Belapur railway station by head constable Rahul Pawar from the Economic Offences Wing, who noticed him behaving suspiciously.
Further interrogation revealed that Shaikh was part of a larger racket supplying bank accounts for online gaming and money laundering operations. He allegedly lured people from the Nerul–CBD area by offering commission-based work, convincing them to open bank accounts in their names.
For each account, he received Rs 15,000, of which Rs 5,000 was paid to the account holder. Shaikh then sent the bank kits — including passbooks, debit cards, cheque books, and linked SIM cards — to one Harish in Dombivali through 'Porter' and supplied similar materials to Pune as well.
Raids In Dombivli And Pune
Acting on information obtained from Shaikh, police raided a flat in Runwal Garden, Dombivli, where an active online gaming and cyber fraud operation was uncovered.
Five suspects were arrested during the raid. A follow-up raid at Somani Green Homes, Punawele, Pimpri-Chinchwad led to six more arrests, dismantling the core 'operations' unit of the network.
Those arrested have been identified as Hitesh Punararam Dewangan (28), Sunil Shravan Dewangan (23), Rahul Raju Dewangan (21), Tomeshkumar Mohit Uike (22), Ankit Ramesh Singh (23) and Abhishek Sanjay Singh (23) from Dombivali.
Meanwhile those arrested from Pune were Arpit Satendrakumar Sonwani (23), Rajat Dilip Sharma (24), and Harishkumar Madanlal Markam (27) — all from Chhattisgarh; along with Lalbabu Rajeshwarram Kumar (21) from Bihar and Krishnanshu Amit Vishwas (22) from Delhi.
Navi Mumbai Crime Branch displays seized Bank Passbook, Debit Cards and Electronic items during a press conference held at Navi Mumbai Police Commissionerate Office in CBD Belapur, on Thursday, 6/11/2025 | FPJ Photo: Farooq Sayed
Modus Operandi And Scale Of Fraud
"Technical analysis of the seized devices showed that the accused operated through Ramesh247.com, upi9.pro.com, and Reddybook.blue, in addition to the banned ‘Reddy Anna’ app. The network used 886 bank accounts across India to facilitate illegal gaming, betting, and cyber fraud transactions," deputy commissioner of police (crime branch) Sachin Gunjal said. Police said the racket was responsible for large-scale scams involving fake job offers, share trading frauds, and work-from-home schemes.
Of the total arrested, three were graduates, seven 12th pass and two 10th pass. "They used to call these places from where they operated as 'branches'. The one from Dombivali was called as branch number 508 and one in Pune was called 404," said Assistant Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Ajay Landge.
Seizures And Legal Action
During the raids, officers seized 52 mobile phones, seven laptops, 99 bank debit cards, 64 passbooks, and a Tata Safari Storm SUV, collectively valued at Rs 18.05 lakh.
A case has been registered at CBD Belapur Police Station under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, Sections 4 and 5 of the Maharashtra Gambling Act, and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025.
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The operation was carried out under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajaykumar Landge and Senior Police Inspector Sunil Shinde, with the Central Unit team comprising Srinivas Tungenwar, Sachin Kokare, Satish Bhosale, Mahesh Jadhav, and Rahul Bhadane.
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