Mumbai: The North Region Cyber Police Station has uncovered a gang involved in defrauding individuals by fabricating digital arrest warrants, arresting six suspects from a hotel in South Mumbai. The accused have been identified as Gangavishan Manju (32), Vikas Bishnoi (21), Premsukh Bishnoi (19), Ramniwas Bishnoi (32), Sunil Bishnoi (24), and Ajaykumar Bishnoi (21).
The case came to light on December 12 when Kiran Nagre (49), a Kandivali resident living with his elderly parents, received a call from a man claiming to be an employee of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller alleged that Nagre’s mobile number was linked to multiple crimes and would soon be deactivated. Posing as senior police officers, including a Police Commissioner and CBI officials, the fraudsters used WhatsApp profile pictures of individuals in uniform. They even conducted video and voice calls to enhance their credibility and intimidate Nagre further.
The scammers claimed a criminal case had been registered against Nagre in Delhi, along with an arrest warrant and orders to freeze his bank accounts. Exploiting his fear, they demanded personal banking information under the pretense of an official inquiry. To convince him, they sent fake PDF documents bearing the seals and signatures of judicial and RBI authorities. Using the ruse of verifying his savings, they coerced him into transferring funds to multiple accounts, ultimately defrauding him of ₹32 lakh.
Nagre approached the North Region Cyber Police to file a complaint. Investigations revealed the fraudsters had used 15 different beneficiary bank accounts to launder the stolen money. One account in Chembur alone received ₹5.02 lakh. Acting swiftly, the police traced the gang to a hotel in South Mumbai and arrested six members.
During the operation, the police seized substantial evidence, including 16 cheque books from various banks, 15 debit cards, 10 mobile phones linked to different companies, 17 SIM cards, and ₹3.5 lakh in cash. Further investigations revealed the arrested suspects are connected to at least 10 similar fraud cases across the country.
The police continue to investigate the gang’s operations and urge citizens to remain vigilant against scams involving fake authorities and digital threats.
