City reports 12 cyber fraud cases in 24 hours

Pune: Police reported that as many as 12 cyber fraud cases occurred in the city on Wednesday

Pune: Police reported that as many as 12 cyber fraud cases occurred in the city on Wednesday.

The largest fraud was reported to the cyber police station, where a 38-year-old professional lost ₹53.10 lakh after fraudsters lured him with a social media advertisement promising high returns from over-the-counter share trading and Initial Public Offering (IPO) investments. The app displayed fictitious profits and encouraged further investments before the fraudsters became unreachable.

Another case was registered by Faraskhana police, where a complainant alleged that a stolen mobile phone was used to gain access to banking applications and siphon ₹65,001 from the victim’s account through unauthorised digital transactions.

Investigations into cyber fraud networks also led police to identify several mule bank accounts operating from Pune. Yerawada police registered a case after a private bank account was found to be involved in cyber fraud proceeds worth ₹34.10 lakh. Investigators found that ₹2 lakh had been credited to the account, which was allegedly used to facilitate the movement of cheated funds.

Similarly, Chatushrungi police booked an account holder after a man was found to have received ₹44,655, allegedly forming part of cyber fraud proceeds transferred from victims in different states. The case emerged during analysis of transactions shared by cyber investigation agencies.

In another case, Swargate police registered an offence after investigators found that three bank accounts had allegedly been used to route money obtained through a ₹4.78 lakh online fraud.

Police also registered additional cyber cheating cases involving suspicious bank accounts and online financial frauds across different police stations.

Vivek Masal, DCP (EOW and cyber cell), said, “Victims are often shown fabricated profits on fake dashboards and persuaded to invest larger amounts before all communication abruptly ceases. Citizens should verify the credentials of investment platforms before investing or transferring money online.”