500 Villas Searched, One Big Catch: Cyber Fraud Gang With China Links Nabbed By Pimpri-Chinchwad Police In Lonavala

Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Cyber Police Station of Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate’s (PCPC) Crime Branch has busted an international cyber fraud racket with links to China, officials announced on Wednesday. Four youths were arrested from a villa in the Lonavala area of Maval Tehsil in Pune District. The accused were converting cheated money into cryptocurrency and sending it abroad.

The case came to light after a Pimpri-Chinchwad resident was cheated of Rs 97.7 lakh in a fake share trading investment scam. During the probe, police traced part of the money to bank accounts linked to the accused. This led them to a larger network.

Police said that the arrested accused are Monil Atul Kumar Modi (24) from Gujarat, Ravi Gokal Prasad Jaat (21) and Rudrapal Singh Chauhan (22) from Madhya Pradesh, and Hansh Kailash Verma (19) from Mumbai.

Police said Rs 8.25 lakh from the fraud amount was transferred to Modi’s account. He was constantly on the move, making it hard to track him. Acting on a tip-off, a police team searched around 500 villas in the Lonavala area before finding the hideout.

A police officer from the Cyber Police Station said, “During the raid, we seized a laptop, seven mobile phones, 14 debit cards, web cameras, bank kits and a rubber stamp.”

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Multiple Accounts Handled By Prime Accused

“Our investigations revealed that the accused were recruited through fake job offers from a company named 'King Payment Global'." They were given fake appointment letters and ID cards. The youths were asked to route fraud money through multiple bank accounts,” the officer added.

Police investigations have also revealed that Modi operated several bank accounts across states. He collected and moved money into one main account. Police said he handled over Rs 1 crore. The others assisted with transferring funds and followed the instructions.

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Entire Operation Based In Hong Kong

Police also revealed that the entire operation was controlled by handlers based in Hong Kong. The accused was under constant watch through web cameras. The money was converted into USDT cryptocurrency and sent to these handlers.

Police said Modi earned a one per cent commission. The other two accused were paid around Rs 3,000 in cryptocurrency.

The operation was carried out by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Cyber Police under the supervision of senior officers. Further investigation is underway to trace the international links and identify more suspects.