Nagpur Rural Police made a huge breakthrough when they busted a group of cybercriminals from Kolkata who had defrauded more than 160 people in Maharashtra in a statewide scam. The gang has been operating since 2021 and used the promise of large monthly returns to entice victims into renting their land for the installation of mobile towers. Police investigations showed that the gang used a network of leased bank accounts to conceal their activities while pocketing crores.
In the statewide scam, tele-callers tricked more than 160 Maharashtra citizens into renting out their property for the construction of mobile phone towers in exchange for large monthly profits. After four months of inquiry, Nagpur rural police nabbed another 90 people who were under police scrutiny for ‘renting’ out bank accounts to the con artists who stole crores.
The Crackdown
A 40-day operation in Kolkata and its environs followed a four-month inquiry led by Assistant SP Anil Mhaske of Saoner Division. 40 people, including 14 men and 19 women, were taken into custody by the police squad after they raided three contact centers. A total of Rs 7 crore, distributed over 65 bank accounts, 175 SIM cards, and more than 100 cell phones were blocked.
Alauddin Sheikh, also known as Shrimant Bacchhar, Pranab Mondal, Siddharth Das, Sourabh Chaki, also known as Deep Sen, and Monoranjan Maiti, also known as Babuda, are the main suspects and are now being held in Nagpur Central Jail. They are all from West Bengal. Rabindra Chatterjee, another accomplice, is still at large.
Modus Operandi
The group cold-called victims, mostly landowners, using tele-callers. Upon signing false agreements, they promised instant reimbursement of 225 lakh, employment prospects for family members, and lucrative monthly rentals of Rs. 20,000-725,000. The scammers used PDFS to distribute phony government certifications and business papers in an attempt to win people over.
Local agents Vaibhav Dawande and Kamlesh Gajbhiye solicited economically disadvantaged people in Saoner and Kalmeshwar, further entangling the victims. Under the pretense of collecting money for an orphanage, they rented bank accounts and paid account holders between 84,000 and 75,000 per month, while abusing the accounts for high-value transactions.
Unravelling the racket
When clients of Nagpur District Bank expressed concern over questionable activities in their accounts, the fraud was exposed. The inquiry turned over 130 bank accounts that the group had exploited, totaling over 215 crore in transactions.
Police used technological know-how, CCTV analysis, and cyber monitoring to link the gang’s operations to many places in Kolkata, including Salt Lake Sector V and New Town. One of the main participants, Maiti, was found to be taking money out of ATMs as soon as deposits were made.
Lavish lifestyles exposed
The scammers made significant investments in luxury goods and real estate: Mondal bought a Mercedes for 220 lakh, a 71 crore condominium in Kolkata’s New Town, and a 736 lakh fixed deposit in his father’s name. The gang made benami investments and paid 730 lakh a year to lease a hotel in Darjeeling.
Police action and public advisory
In addition to freezing 27 crore in assets, Nagpur Rural Police issued a 4,200-page charge sheet. Harsh A. Poddar, SP (Rural), highlighted the strong case that was constructed to guarantee convictions and discourage such schemes in the future.
The gang, which invested the money, created nationwide networks of bank customers whose accounts were rented out for a monthly return of around Rs.4,000-5,000, but transacted lakhs of rupees in them. “A watertight case is being built to ensure conviction and create deterrence,” said Poddar, adding fraudsters underestimated the expertise of rural police. “The racketeers used technology to mask their footprint, but were exposed by our advanced cyber and digital tools,” he said.
According to the police, Dawande and Gajbhiye went up to people who were struggling financially and offered to rent their accounts for a monthly fee to a charity that raised money for an orphanage.
After receiving high-value transaction texts on his cell phone, Praful Gahukar filed the first formal complaint with the Saoner police station. Vaibhav Dawande, a resident of Ajani, Kamptee tehsil, and Kamlesh Gajbhiye, a resident of Kawrapeth, Nagpur, had earlier approached Gahukar, stating that they were intending to create an orphanage and that in order to accept donations, they needed to register bank accounts.
The diligent work of officials such as Assistant Inspector Ashishsingh Thakur and constables Nitesh Pusam, Sangeeta Gawade, and others in solving the case was praised by Assistant SP Mhaske. “This operation highlights the expertise of rural police in tackling advanced cyber crimes,” Mhaske remarked.
In the meanwhile, Soner police have asked people to get in touch with them if they have also been tricked by the Jio Company since they have an MPIDA clause that allows them to get their money back.
As the investigation progresses, Nagpur Rural Police’s operation serves as evidence of the effectiveness of collaboration, technological know-how, and perseverance in preventing cybercrime.
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