CBI nabs accused who provided SIM cards, mule bank accounts to cyber frauds

MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Kalyan resident as part of its crackdown on a cybercrime syndicate specialising in perpetrating investment frauds, and conducted multi-state searches at 10 locations, including in the city. The agency's actions were part of its probe into an investment fraud case in which funds worth ₹160 crore were allegedly defrauded from victims. A special court sent the arrested accused to judicial custody.
The syndicate allegedly duped gullible victims by entrapping them with the lucrative offer of shares of reputed listed companies at discounted rates and then misappropriated their funds, CBI officials said on Friday. The accused, identified as Pratik Tanpure, a resident of Kalyan, was arrested by the CBI after his alleged role as a logistics provider to such criminal networks surfaced in its probe into an investment fraud case against the syndicate.
CBI's probe revealed that the accused was allegedly actively involved in providing pre-activated SIM cards and mule bank accounts to cybercrime networks, thereby enabling and sustaining their illegal operations, agency officials said. During a search at his premises, the CBI recovered incriminating material in his possession, which is being assessed for their evidentiary value, agency officials said.
Apart from the premises of the arrested accused, the agency also carried out searches at nine other locations in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik in Maharashtra, Hisar (Haryana), Delhi and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) as part of its crackdown, internally known as Operation Chakra-V.
The CBI's case pertains to an organised, orchestrated fraud wherein unsuspecting individuals were allegedly cheated through a fraudulent mobile application and WhatsApp groups, the agency officials said. The perpetrators deceitfully lured innocent investors by promising shares of reputed listed companies at discounted rates. Once the victims invested their hard-earned money, the accused misappropriated the funds, causing significant financial loss to the investors, the officials said.
During the coordinated searches, the CBI seized digital and documentary evidence from the premises of the accused persons, unearthing the modus operandi employed to dupe innocent investors, the officials said, adding that 'Operation Chakra-V' underscores the central agency's unwavering commitment to dismantling cyber-crime syndicates and infrastructure supporting commission of such offences.
Last September, as part of a similar crackdown, the CBI had arrested 26 alleged cybercriminals, including 10 in Pune, who used illegal call centres across four Indian cities to cheat people globally, especially in the United States. In the same month, the CBI also busted another transnational cybercrime network by arresting its key operator from Mumbai.

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