NT Reporter
Panaji
The Goa cybercrime police have arrested one Avishkar Suradkar (26) of Maharashtra in the Rs 4.74 crore online fraud case, which is the biggest such scam in Goa so far.
The case pertains to a 72-year-old retired employee from Tiswadi losing the money to a fake IPO (initial public offering).
The accused is a taxi driver, the police said, adding that Suradkar had received Rs 80 lakh in his account.
Similarly, the police also identified a woman who received Rs 30 lakh. The woman has been called for questioning.
According to police sources, the ‘fraud money’ is transferred into accounts of their accomplices who are then paid a commission.
The police said Suradkar was traced to Jalna in Maharashtra, following an in-depth technical and financial investigation.
“It was revealed that the accused had received Rs 80 lakh in his bank account at Layer 1, which was subsequently routed to multiple accounts of his associates,” said cybercrime SP Rahul Gupta.
Gupta said, “Further analysis uncovered that his account was linked to eight other cyber fraud cases reported in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, and Goa, with a cumulative fraud amount of Rs 13.10 crore.”
Earlier, Malathi BN from Bengaluru was identified as another accused in connection with the case. She had received Rs 30 lakh in her bank account and routed the funds to other accounts.
The police said she has been served notice under Sections 35(3), 35(4), 35(5), and 35(6) of the BNSS and directed to cooperate with the investigation.
The complainant had come across details on the IPO of an online payment app on a social media platform. The complainant had told the police that the accused impersonated as qualified institutional buyer (QIB) linked to an online payment app. The accused induced the complainant to invest in the IPO, where a large number of shares were reportedly allotted to him.
The incident had occurred this year before August 25, the complainant told the police.
As directed by the scamsters, the complainant invested money. However, the accused cheated the complainant to the tune of Rs 4.74 crore on the pretext of providing high returns.
