E-Paper
Man held in ₹2.24 crore cyber fraud case
Pimpri-Chinchwad police arrested Santosh Rupnar for duping investors of ₹2.24 crore in an online share market fraud, linked to multiple cases.
The Cyber Cell of Pimpri-Chinchwad police has arrested a man from Manjari Budruk for allegedly duping investors in an online share market fraud worth ₹2.24 crore.
Police said the arrest was made last week. The accused has been identified as Santosh Rupnar (47), a private businessman from Manjari Budruk.
The case came to light in July–August 2025, when a share market employee was contacted by a man named Rajiv Bhatia, who added him to WhatsApp groups sharing stock trading tips. The accused allegedly promised 10–15% returns and asked the victim to download a trading app.
Believing the claims, the victim transferred ₹2.24 crore via multiple transactions. The app showed profits of ₹10 crore, but when the victim tried to withdraw funds, he was asked to pay various charges.
Following a complaint, police traced ₹1.05 crore to a bank account belonging to Jana Seva Industries Pvt Ltd, operated by Rupnar. He was arrested and booked under the relevant sections.
During questioning, Rupnar admitted to providing his account to cyber fraudsters. So far, around ₹3.53 crore in fraudulent transactions have been linked to his account, with 12 cases registered in multiple states.
Police warned of rising cyber fraud in online trading.
“Investors must verify platforms and use only SEBI-registered apps,” said a senior officer.
Rupnar has been remanded to police custody. Further investigations are ongoing to trace the remaining funds and uncover the larger network involved.
