Mumbai: Two fraudsters held for cheating woman out of Rs 15 lakh

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The North Cyber Cell of the Mumbai police arrested two fraudsters for allegedly cheating a 27-year-old woman out of R15.08 lakh by promising investment. The accused have been identified as Rajesh Bhanbhai Ayar, 29, and Mahesh Babubhai Ahir alias Mahesh Sonara, 24, both from the Kutch district of Gujarat.

According to police sources, the victim, who lives in Kandivli and works in the IT sector, received a message on her mobile phone from an unknown woman. The caller lured her with the promise of earning money by rating restaurants and bars. She was then added to a Telegram group and given tasks. Over time, she invested around R15.08 lakh. When she did not receive any returns, she realised she had been defrauded and approached the North Cyber Police Station to file a complaint.

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Under the guidance of senior officers from the Mumbai Cyber Cell, API Sandeep Pachangne and his team began their investigation. "We traced the beneficiary accounts and apprehended the duo from Gujarat," said an officer from the Cyber Cell.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Ayar was involved in cryptocurrency trading. He had invested more than R20 lakh in an international company, but the company suffered losses, and his entire investment was wiped out. To recover his money, he went to Dubai and learned how to carry out fraudulent schemes.

The mastermind behind the operation, who remains untraceable, purchased cryptocurrency from Ayar. The police were able to trace Ayar by following the transaction details connected to the mastermind. Ayar collected fraudulent funds, converted them into cryptocurrency, and then sold it both domestically and internationally.

Sonara, Ayar's close friend, helped by withdrawing funds from various bank accounts linked to Ayar and handing them over to him. The police seized multiple bank accounts belonging to the duo and arrested them under various sections of the BNS on August 4 in Kutch. "The accused have been remanded in police custody," said another officer.