The cyber cell of the Pimpri-Chinchwad police has uncovered a major online fraud racket in which cybercriminals duped a local businessman of ₹54.60 lakh by impersonating a well-known finance YouTuber. Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the case.
The accused have been identified as Poonam Jain and Ganesh Dhole, both residents of Madhya Pradesh, along with Rajesh Kushwah, Pradeep Kuma Ken, and Harshit Ghotan from Delhi.
According to Assistant Police Inspector Pravin Swami, the accused allowed their bank accounts to be used for laundering the defrauded funds, which were later converted into cryptocurrency (USDT) and transferred to cybercriminals based overseas.
Police said the victim had come across an online advertisement that falsely used a YouTuber’s video and voice, promoting a trading opportunity. Upon clicking the ad, he was added to multiple WhatsApp groups and was asked to download a fraudulent trading app. Believing it to be genuine, the victim invested ₹54.60 lakh and was shown fake profits amounting to ₹2.52 crore. When he tried to withdraw the amount, he was asked to pay various charges. Sensing foul play, he lodged a complaint with the cyber police.
Investigations revealed that the amount was routed through several accounts, including those in IDFC Bank, Yes Bank, and Bank of Maharashtra. Poonam Jain had opened seven bank accounts under the name Mahavir Enterprises and used four of them to transfer the defrauded money.
{{/usCountry}}Investigations revealed that the amount was routed through several accounts, including those in IDFC Bank, Yes Bank, and Bank of Maharashtra. Poonam Jain had opened seven bank accounts under the name Mahavir Enterprises and used four of them to transfer the defrauded money.
{{/usCountry}}Based on technical analysis, the police tracked down the remaining accused from Delhi and seized several mobile phones, ATM cards, and a cheque book used in the crime. Police are now working to trace the international cyber network behind the scam.