Mastermind of 60 cyber frauds arrested by Navi Mumbai cyber cops

The cyber police station of the Navi Mumbai police had issued a lookout notice against Italia, and he was apprehended at Surat airport on June 26, when he arrived from Dubai

Navi Mumbai: A 34-year-old man from Dubai was arrested recently for cheating a person from Navi Mumbai of ₹1.23 crore by luring him to invest in share trading. The accused, identified as Kaushikkumar Kalyanbhai Italia, is an alleged mastermind behind at least 60 cyber frauds reported in various parts of the country. The police have succeeded in recovering around ₹43.31 lakh from Italia.

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The cyber police station of the Navi Mumbai police had issued a lookout notice against Italia, and he was apprehended at Surat airport on June 26, when he arrived from Dubai.

The accused had lured a Nerul-based contractor, Satish Khurana, 56, to invest in share trading and allegedly duped him of ₹1.23 crore in August last year, senior inspector Gajanan Kadam said.

Khurana had lodged the complaint with the cyber police station on November 21, 2023, after he was scammed. According to his complaint, he had received a call on August 6 from a woman claiming to be a representative from an entity of a leading bank. The caller informed him about their WhatsApp group that provides tips on investing in the share market which could lead to huge returns within a small duration. Until November 13, the complainant was made to invest money in various accounts that he eventually lost.

“The details of the bank account and mobile numbers used in the commission of the fraud had revealed that the entire fraud was perpetrated from Dubai and therefore a lookout notice was issued for the arrest of Italia, who had been identified by the police as the mastermind behind the fraud. The accused had landed in Surat and was detained by the immigration,” said Kadam.

His preliminary interrogation has revealed that the accused is a Class XII pass-out and had earlier earned his living by working at a diamond manufacturing unit in Surat. After having lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic, he was doing small-time jobs before branching out to commit cyber frauds with the help of his friends based in Dubai.

“The ease of making money got him into this activity and it has been established that there are two or more of his accomplices currently based in Dubai who helped him in the fraudulent operations. His family was unaware of the illegal activity; he had told them that he was working in a private firm in Dubai,” added Kadam. The accused has also revealed the role of some Chinese nationals in the crime.

The accused’s family members include his father, his wife and 2-year-old daughter. The wife is working as a teacher. The accused used to regularly visit the family. His last visit to India as per his passport entries was in December 2023.

“For renewing his visa, he was required to return to India in a span of every six months. He would have arrived much before, however aware that the police were searching for him, he had delayed his trip further,” said an officer.