The Pune city cyber cell has busted a Nepali gang providing bank accounts and SIM cards for transfer of online cyber fraud money to an international gang, said officials on Monday.
The accused have been identified as Norbu Sherpa, 28, from Solukhumbu and Anag Noori Sherpa, 21, from Okhaldhunga in Nepal; Aniket Prasht Bhadale, 27, from Shivajinagar Gaothan; Sagar Gaikwad, 26, from Sinhagad Road; and Shivtej Gunjkar, 33, from Jambhulwadi. The arrests were made on June 22 onwards.
According to the police, a complainant duped of ₹60,20,000 in online investment fraud approached the police on April 19.
Swapnali Shinde, senior inspector, Pune cyber cell, said, “Probe revealed the fraud amount was received in a current bank account of Adiyogi Scrap and Waste Management firm. The firm’s associate Bhadale was arrested on June 22, and it was found that Sagar was using the former’s bank account.”
Sagar confessed to the involvement of Nepali individuals in providing mule bank accounts and SIM cards to international cyber criminals. The accused were arrested from a hotel located in Narhe area.
Investigation officer Sangeeta Devkate said, “The Nepali citizens frequently visited Pune and with the help of mediators got mule accounts and SIM cards, which they used to provide to other cyber criminals.”
{{/usCountry}}Investigation officer Sangeeta Devkate said, “The Nepali citizens frequently visited Pune and with the help of mediators got mule accounts and SIM cards, which they used to provide to other cyber criminals.”
{{/usCountry}}During the raid at the hotel, police seized 10 mobile phones, 10 pen drives, a bank swipe machine, four laptops, 55 cheque books of various banks, a CPU, 39 stamps of various companies, two routers, 27 blank cheques, four hard disks, seven CDs/DVDs, 27 QR Codes and a DVR.