Navi Mumbai cyber police bust Telegram app fraud

The Navi Mumbai cyber police have arrested three members of a gang of fraudsters operating through Telegram app, involved in luring people with the promise of part-time jobs. The police have seized various items and frozen ₹84.95 lakh in bank accounts. The gang has been linked to a total of 56 cyber frauds across the country. Investigations are ongoing to find the mastermind behind the fraud. People are advised not to share personal information or engage in financial transactions with suspicious job advertisements.

​Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai cyber police have arrested three members of a gang of fraudsters operating through Telegram app, involved in luring people with the promise of part-time jobs. The police busted a fake call center operating within Haware Centurian Mall in Nerul, functioning under the guise of an education centre’s license.

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The police seized 12 mobile phones, 21 SIM cards, 13 debit cards, 8 chequebooks, 14 different company name stamps, and four gumasta licences(shops and establishment licences issued by civic bodies) . The gang’s involvement has been identified in a total of 56 cyber frauds across various states in the country. The cyber police have freezed ₹84.95 lakh in multiple bank accounts linked to the gang.

The arrested individuals, Ranvir Singh Narpat Singh Kanawat, 28, Amarjit Prakash Yadav, 21, and Jitendra Puranchand Mandaiya, 21, all hail from Rajasthan. Deputy commissioner of police, (crime branch) Amit Kale, stated, “The accused and their accomplices rented a shop under the pretext of selling education kits. Subsequently, they established a bogus company called junior edutech and started a fraudulent call center.”

Following a complaint from a Navi Mumbai resident who was cheated of ₹32.63 lakh, the cyber police conducted a technical analysis of the bank account and mobile number used by them, leading to the location at the Nerul mall. The cyber police then formed two teams and arrested the three who were running the bogus call center in Centurian Mall.

The cyber police have also launched a search for the mastermind of the fraud controlling the gang. The modus operandi involved renting a shop in a mall, obtaining a gumasta license in the name of a bogus company using the same shop’s address. Investigations revealed that the accused face cyber fraud charges in various police stations, including Nashik cyber police station, Dombivli police station, Hudkeshwar police station, and Balabwar cyber police station in Haryana.

A total of 56 cyber fraud cases, including nine in Maharashtra and 47 in other states, have been linked to the gang. “People should not share personal information for any part-time job advertisements on Telegram, Instagram and other social media platforms and engage in financial transactions with them in any way. They should contact the cyber police immediately if they come across any such type of fraud,” DCP Kale added.