Two Delhi men held in Mumbai for cheating banker by offering loan with low EMI

Accused allegedly cheated complainant of Rs1.10 lakh by promising to give loan through fake website

The cybercrime detection team of the Wadala TT police station has arrested two men from Delhi for allegedly cheating a bank employee by extracting money from her on the pretext of giving her a loan with low EMI.

The police said the case could be the tip of the iceberg, and the main accused may have cheated many other people. (HT FILE)

The police said the two men have been identified as Amitabh Chowdhary alias Jitendra Singh, 30 and Nitish Kumar alias Mannu, 32. The alleged mastermind of the gang however, remains absconding. Police sub-inspector Ajay Birajdar, from the Wadala TT police station, said Sanjana Tirmal was looking for a loan on low monthly instalments. The police said 45-year-old Tirmal, who works at a local bank, was searching the Internet in October when she came across a finance company that was offering loan at the rate of six percent interest. Tirmal filled in her details and came in touch with Singh and Mannu, who over a period of 10 days asked her to deposit Rs1.10 lakh in two accounts of a different bank on the pretext of registration, processing, and Goods and Services Tax fee. When Tirmal realised she was being cheated, she approached the police and registered a complaint with the cybercrime department of the Wadala TT police station.

Police officials then laid a trap and asked the bank officials to call up one of the accused on the registered mobile number and ask him to visit the branch on pretext of a problem in the account. On Friday, Singh agreed to go the bank after many attempts by the bank employees. Police personnel who were present outside the bank arrested Singh as soon as he entered the premises. “Based on the questioning of Singh we arrested Mannu as well. However, the woman who has been operating the fake website is still absconding,” said Birajdar.

Wadala TT police officers said this was just the tip of the iceberg as the woman might be operating many such websites in order to loot people by offering them loan on low EMI.