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Accused who hacked into payment gateway and stole 25 crore booked

ByAnamika Gharat
Oct 09, 2023 08:00 AM IST

A group of hackers in Thane, India, have been booked by the police for allegedly hacking into a payment gateway and stealing ₹25 crore ($3.4 million). The hackers breached the company's database, increased wallet balances, and carried out transactions to different bank accounts. Investigations have revealed that the hackers transferred ₹1.39 crore ($189,000) to a company called Riyal Enterprises. Further investigation is being conducted by the Thane police's Economic Offences Wing.

THANE: A group of persons who allegedly hacked into a payment gateway service provider’s account and siphoned off funds to the tune of 25 crore have been booked by the Thane police. The scam came to light in July after the legal advisor of the company registered a complaint. After investigation, Sanjay Singh, Amol Andhale alias Aman, Kedar alias Sameer Dighe, Jitendra Pandey, Navin and others were booked.

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Manali Sathe, legal advisor of Safexpay Company had registered a case at Shrinagar police station, Thane, against unknown persons under Sections 420, 409, 120(b), 34 I.T. 65, 66(c), 66(d) of the IT act in July. The crime was being investigated by the Thane cyber cell.

According to the Thane police, the hackers breached the payment gateway of the company, changed its database, increased the wallet balances and with merchant credentials logged into the company’s portal and carried out transactions to different bank accounts.

“The hackers got hold of the company’s escrow bank account in a well-known national bank and transferred around 25 crore to different unknown accounts,” a police source said. An escrow account is a temporary pass-through account held by a third party during the process of a transaction between two parties.

While investigating the crime, it was found prima facie that of the 25 crore, an amount of 1,39,19,264 had been transferred to Riyal Enterprises, a company with offices at Vashi and Belapur, Navi Mumbai. “After going to their offices, we found several bank accounts and contracts,” said an officer from the Thane police. Investigations into the contracts revealed that five partnership firms were established through forged documents in the name of various persons at the address Balganesh Tower, Station Road, Thane, within the limits of Naupada police station.

While investigating the workers of Riyal Enterprises, nearly 260 bank accounts and various partnership agreements were found. The five persons booked stand accused of defrauding the government with false documents by opening bank accounts in the names of various unregistered partnership firms.

When information was obtained about the said bank accounts, it was found that approximately 161,80,41,92,479 (16 thousand and 180 crores, 41 lakhs, 92 thousand and 497 rupees) had been transacted through these accounts in the past few years. Some of the amounts were sent abroad.

The accused have been booked under Sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 120 (b) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code along with Sections 66 (c) and 66 (d) of the Information and Technology Act 2000. A separate FIR of cheating has been filed in Naupada police station against the accused. Further investigation into the crime is being done by the Economic Offences Wing of the Thane police.

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