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Navi Mumbai News: Raigad Police Bust Digital Arrest Racket Spanning 6 Countries, 11 Arrested

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Navi Mumbai: Investigations into a complaint of a ‘digital arrest’ scam in Raigad has now been found to be linked with an international cybercrime syndicate operating across India, Nepal, Pakistan, Canada, China, and Bangladesh. Acting on a complaint filed in May, the Raigad Cyber Police have arrested 11 individuals, including tech-savvy masterminds, telecom insiders, and marketing agents.

The investigation started after a local citizen reported receiving a threatening video call on May 5 from someone posing as an official from the Telecom Authority of India. The victim was told that his identity had been misused for illegal transactions and that a Supreme Court arrest warrant was issued against him. To ‘settle’ the matter, he was forced to transfer Rs 66 lakh in multiple installments. The fraud was cleverly masked as a ‘digital arrest’.

“What appeared to be a standalone scam quickly revealed deeper layers. The Raigad Cyber police station found that the scam was just the tip of a pan-India and cross-border telecom exploitation operation run using forged company documents, SIP lines, and cloud-based calling servers,” Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal said.

Abhay Santprakash Mishra, (29), a B.Tech Computer Science graduate from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh was found to be the mastermind. Mishra managed a network of five high-capacity telecom servers that placed over 62 lakh spoofed calls in 28 days, including 86,910 targeting Maharashtra alone.

Mishra was found to be in constant digital communication with foreign nationals from Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China, discussing the setup of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) lines, a telecom technology that allows voice and video communication over the internet — often without requiring user-level identification.

Using the alias ‘Alex,’ Mishra conducted encrypted conversations via Microsoft Teams, discussing fraud operations, lease line acquisitions, and telecom routing with international collaborators. “He was also preparing forged documentation to obtain permanent residency in Nepal,” Dalal said. Authorities have also identified properties linked to him in Nepal, Noida, and Hardoi, along with Rs 85 lakh in Bitcoin, as proceeds of crime.

Police found that the gang had created fake companies such as Nivi Cloud Pvt Ltd, Credil Info Pvt Ltd, Oxydeal, and others. These companies existed only on paper — supported by fraudulent documents, forged rubber stamps, and complicit telecom sales executives.

Two Jio Sales Managers, Balmori Vinaykumar Rao and Gangadhar Gangaram Muttan, played a crucial role by accepting these fake documents via WhatsApp, signing off as company directors, and approving telecom SIP lines. These telecom lines were then used to make fake calls in the guise of CBI, ED, police, and other agencies.

Police also arrested Mohsin Mia Khan (35) from Delhi, who possessed over 6,175 SIM cards from providers like Jio, Airtel, BSNL, VI, Idea, and 13 foreign numbers — along with 26 mobile handsets. These SIM cards were being used to rotate identities, mask call origins, and bypass traceability.

The network involved a team of document forgers identified as Abdus Salam Barbhuyan, Nadeem Ahmed, Lairab Khan, Shadan Khan, and Mohammad Faisal Khan, all of whom played roles in setting up fake firms and laundering funds. Fake bank accounts, dummy directors, and proxy communications were used to route money, with over 112 bank accounts identified and Rs 66 lakh frozen so far.

Shams Tahir Khan, an MBA graduate from Rajasthan, acted as the SIP marketing conduit, onboarding international players and travelling with Mishra to Nepal, which is emerging as a safe haven for such cyber operators due to weak extradition oversight, said police.

Authorities have invoked multiple charges under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, the Telegraph Act, and the IT Act. Assets across multiple states and countries are now under seizure proceedings.

Raigad SP Aanchal Dalal, who led the investigation, warned that ‘digital arrest’ is a fake concept. “Neither the CBI, ED, nor the Police call citizens through WhatsApp or ask for money to avoid legal action. Citizens are urged to immediately report such incidents to the Cyber Helpline 1930, 1945, or 14407, or visit the nearest police station,” she added.

Further investigations into the crime is being conducted by SP Dalal and Additional Superintendent of Police, Abhijit Shivthare, Inspector Rizwana Nadaf, Assistant Police Inspector Amol Jadhav, ASI Mohite, PN Tushar Gharat, PN Rahul Patil, PN Rajiv Zinjurte, PC Gurav, LHC Suchita Patil and LHC Puja Patil.

Crime

Karnataka KRIDL Office Assistant, Once A Sweeper, Found With Properties Worth Over ₹100 Crore

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Bengaluru: A sweeper, turned outsourced office assistant at the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation (KRIDL) in Koppal district has been the owner of properties worth over Rs 100 crore.

The shocking revelation came after the Karnataka Lokayukta raided the KRIDL office in Koppal, following a complaint against the Chief Executive Engineer Z M Chincholikar that there has been misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 72 crore in the works taken up between 2022 – 2024.

However, during the raid, the Lokayukta police grew suspicious over the office assistant Kalakappa Nidagundi of Bandi village in neighbouring Yalaburga taluk. Both Chincholikar and Nidagundi were immediately suspended and the search operations continued. However, Chincholikar managed to obtain a stay from the KAT and has been transferred to Davanagere.

During the search operations, the Lokayukta police stumbled on interesting facts about Kalakappa Nidagundi. He started his career as a sweeper in the KRIDL office, Koppal. Later in 2003, he was registered as an outsourced employee and made the office assistant. Since then, he has been the office assistant of the Koppal division.

While investigating the Rs 72 crore misappropriation in 108 works taken up by KRIDL  during 2022-2024, the Lokayukta police realised that Kalakappa Nidagundi was the mastermind of the scam. The Lokayukta police decided to go after the property he had amassed and were shocked to see that he was owning two luxurious cars, along with other properties, which is worth over Rs 100 crore.

According to Lokayukta police, Nidagundi has 24 houses in Koppal and Bhagya Nagar near Bagalakot. He has over 40 acres of farmland in the name of his wife, brother and brother-in-law. Besides, he owns over 50 housing plots in places like Bandi, Hitnal, Huligi and Yalaburga. The Lokayukta police have seized two cars, two bikes, 350 gms of gold and 1.5 kg silver from his house, which were unaccounted for.

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Crime

Burglary Cases Surge In Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, And Thane; Police’s Strategy Busts Chaddi-Baniyan Gang

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Recently, there has been a rise in housebreaking cases in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane, which has resulted in a coordinated police initiative that led to the capture of the infamous Chaddi-Baniya gang. Significantly, law enforcement captured two siblings by employing an ingenious strategy that involved a water truck to ensnare them.

This group had created anxiety in the neighborhood, as their actions were frequently hard to track. Investigations showed that the gang leased a house and utilised a path through a different city during their heists, making detection more difficult.

A significant development occurred when authorities discovered that the gang leader’s brother was imprisoned at Yerwada jail, leading to additional investigations into the gang’s familial ties. This directed them to a chawl in Sabe village, where the gang was believed to live.

Law enforcement formulated a strategy to collect additional information by delivering water from a tanker, earning the confidence of the community. Ultimately, a group of 25-30 officers encircled the chawl and apprehended the suspects, recognized as Shahaji Pawar and Ankush Pawar, hailing from Kalamb in the Dharashiv district.

In the meantime, the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Crime Branch celebrated another major success by capturing members of a gang that had robbed an industrialist in the Nigdi Authority region, recovering valuables valued at Rs 6.15 lakh following a 11,200-kilometre pursuit in Rajasthan.

Similar Incident

A 37-year-old history-sheeter, Mohammad, was arrested for a shooting incident in Dharavi, Mumbai, where Sarvar Begum Shaikh, 32, was injured while shopping. The incident occurred on July 27 at 90 Feet Road. Sarvar was shot in the hand, and after surgery at Sion Hospital, her condition is stable.

Initially unaware of the injury, she realised something was wrong when blood started to flow. Police are investigating whether she was a random victim or caught in crossfire, reviewing CCTV footage, and examining Mohammad’s potential link to other crimes. A case was registered under relevant laws.

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Crime

Powai Drug Godown Busted: ₹44 Crore Worth Of MD, Chemicals Seized In Follow-Up To Mysuru Raid

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Mumbai: On July 30, the Sakinaka police raided a drug godown in Powai seizing 21.903kg of Mephedrone (MD) and chemicals worth Rs44 crore at Shop No. 9, Prathmesh Galaxy, Hiranandani.

The operation followed the dismantling of an interstate drug racket and a factory shutdown in Mysuru, Karnataka. In total, the police have seized 214 kg of MD, chemicals, and equipment valued at Rs434 crore, including an earlier haul of Rs390 crore.

Investigating Officer Dayanand Walave said: “In this case, we have already arrested accused. During further interrogation, one of them revealed that they were operating a godown in Powai. Subsequently, we raided the location. The godown was situated on the ground floor of a residential building. The ground floor of the building has several shops, and the upper floors have residential flats. The accused had told neighbouring shopkeepers building members that they were running a colour distribution business. Under that guise, they were storing drugs, chemicals, and equipment.”

The case began on April 24, 2025, with the arrest of Sadiq Shaikh, 27, in Sakinaka, caught with 52 gram of MD. Further investigation led to seven more arrests, including four from Mumbai, Gujarat, and Mysuru, and another four from the Mysuru factory. On July 25, Salim Shaikh alias Slim Langda, 45, revealed the factory’s location, leading to a raid on July 26 at a facility near Belavatha, Mysuru. An additional 4.53kg of MD worth Rs8 crore was seized from Kaman village, Vasai.

Three of the eight arrested have prior involvement in similar cases, with one facing 16 charges under the NDPS Act and for assault. The police, under Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade, suspect more individuals are involved and anticipate further breakthroughs.

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