Following its crackdown on cyber fraudsters, the Mumbai Crime Branch has claimed the arrest of seven additional suspects from Goa. Three individuals had previously been arrested in connection with the same case; this latest action follows progress made during the investigation. On September 11, acting on confidential information, Unit 5 of the Mumbai Crime Branch initiated proceedings against three individuals for cyber fraud, registering a case under Sections 318(4), 61, 45, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Subsequent developments led Unit 5 to take further action. The accused—along with their associates—would open bank accounts in their own names and the names of others, while also purchasing SIM cards in various names to link to these accounts. After opening the accounts, they retained direct possession and control of the passbooks, ATM cards, chequebooks, SIM cards, and other linked credentials, utilizing the accounts to commit cyber fraud. Items seized from them included 88 passbooks, 143 chequebooks, 100 ATM cards, 24 mobile phones, 167 SIM cards, and two laptops. Further investigation, utilizing technical analysis and AI, led to the arrest of seven more suspects on September 13; they were apprehended at a villa in a Goa resort where they had been operating the cyber fraud racket. The following items were recovered from them: 1) 59 mobile phones from various companies, 2) a total of 19 SIM cards from various companies, 3) 9 laptops, 4) 51 ATM cards, 5) 12 passbooks, and other materials. It has been revealed that the accused developed and utilized their own application to transfer funds obtained through financial fraud.
The court has granted police custody remand for the accused until September 24.
This successful operation was carried out by Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner (Crime) Krishnakant Upadhyay, and DCP Raj Tilak Roshan.

Mumbai: Route marches were conducted in the northern suburbs of Mumbai—including sensitive areas like Chembur—against the backdrop of the Ganesh Utsav and the immersion processions. Additional Mumbai Police forces and other units marched through the streets to reassure the public of their safety. Acting on the instructions of Additional Commissioner (East Region) Dhananjay Kulkarni, these marches were carried out in northern areas to prevent any untoward incidents during the Ganpati festival; the Mumbai Police remains on high alert for the occasion. Patrols have been intensified in northern areas such as Govandi, Kurla, and Chembur, and security has been tightened at ponds and immersion sites.
Police are also on alert in Mumbai’s western suburbs, including Andheri and Saki Naka. DCP Datta Nalawade has ordered senior police station officers to remain vigilant and has directed special monitoring of sensitive areas. Under the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, route marches and security arrangements are being reviewed across all regions and zones of the city. Senior officers are stationed at beaches, artificial ponds, and immersion sites. With the large-scale Ganpati immersion scheduled for September 25, the police remain vigilant and alert to ensure the maintenance of law and order. Special security arrangements have been deployed at key locations across Mumbai—including Girgaon Chowpatty, Dadar, and various waterfronts and immersion sites—and the BMC has claimed to have made adequate provisions for the convenience of Ganesh devotees. Police security will also be in place at coastal areas such as Bandra Bandstand and Juhu Chowpatty. Today, police conducted route marches across the North Mumbai zone and region to assess the situation in sensitive areas; the objective of these marches is to instill a sense of security among the public while deterring communal and anti-social elements. The situation is being closely monitored under the directives of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti. Meanwhile, the arrival of Manoj Jarange-Patil at Azad Maidan—coinciding with the Ganesh festival—has posed a challenge for the Mumbai Police, as permission for his protest demonstration has not yet been granted.

The Mumbai Police successfully arrested a man from Punjab who had engaged in character assassination and threatened to make a video viral unless the victim paid him extortion money. Posing as a woman on Snapchat and other social media platforms, the accused had contacted the victim—a resident within the jurisdiction of the Mulund Police Station—and extorted money by threatening to circulate her photos and videos. When the victim refused to comply with further demands, the accused sent the video to her relatives and others. Consequently, based on the complaint filed at the Mulund Police Station, a case was registered under Sections 308(2) and 351(2) of the BNS, and Sections 66(E) and 67(A) of the IT Act.
Recognizing the gravity of the case, an investigation team was formed under the guidance of senior officers to probe the matter. Through skilled technical investigation, the police identified the accused and obtained reliable information regarding his whereabouts. The accused, identified as Satnam Maninder Singh (aged 22)—a resident of Aadesh Nagar, Street No. 02, near Peepal Petrol Pump, Kotkapura Road, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab—was subsequently arrested. The operation was successfully executed under the guidance of Deven Bharti (Police Commissioner, Mumbai), Manoj Sharma (Joint Commissioner of Police – Law & Order), Dhananjay Kulkarni (Additional Commissioner of Police – East Region, Chembur, Mumbai), Abhay Singh Deshmukh (Deputy Commissioner of Police – East Zone 03, Mumbai), and Sudarshan Honwadkar (Assistant Commissioner of Police – Mulund Division, Mumbai). The team involved included Senior Police Inspector Santosh Ghatikar (Mulund Police Station, Mumbai), Police Inspector Nitin Khadge, Assistant Police Inspector Abhijit Tekwade, and Police Sub-Inspector Sumit Sonawane.

Appeal to the Public
Citizens are urged to exercise extreme caution when accepting friend requests, messages, or video calls from unknown social media accounts. Furthermore, the Mumbai Police advises that there is no need to panic if someone demands money while threatening to circulate such videos or photos; instead, one should immediately contact the nearest police station.