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Russian national held from Goa in online investment fraud case
The Pimpri-Chinchwad police cyber cell has arrested two individuals, including a Russian national, from Goa in online fraud case after IT engineer was duped of ₹71,05,000
Pune: The Pimpri-Chinchwad police cyber cell has arrested two individuals, including a Russian national, from Goa in an online fraud case after an IT engineer was duped of ₹71,05,000.
The accused have been identified as Tony Anatoliy Mironov, 30, from Leninskaya, Orenburg City, Russia and living at Mandrem in Goa and his associate Shreyash Sanjay Mane, 22, from Shastrinagar in Pune’s Kothrud. The search is on to nab their accomplice Mark (full name not known) as the police officials said Tony is the prime accused and Mane helped him provide bank account details to deposit fraud money.
According to the police, an IT engineer from Wakad on November 26 clicked on an advertisement link online that promised good returns on share market investment and lost ₹71,05,000. Investigators found that ₹28 lakh of the complainant’s money was deposited in a Cosmos Bank account operated from Goa. The account holder told the police that he had shared his bank account details with Mane.
A team led by assistant police inspector Pravin Swami arrested Tony and Mane from Goa on December 9.
Swami said, “Mane used bank accounts of his friends by telling them that he has received money after winning various online games. He regularly visited Goa to share the bank account details with his Russian associates. Tony lured people online by promising high return on investment in shares and IPOs recommended by him.”
According to the police, the Russian accused could be associated with an international share market fraud network operated from Malaysia as he had visited the country in the past, besides operating a bank account used in the crime from Malaysia. Gujarat police have also filed two cyber crime cases against Tony.
Following sustained interrogation by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police, the accused Russian national confessed to his involvement in the crime along with his associate Mane and Mark, who is yet to be nabbed.
The court has sent the two accused to police custody till December 15.
