NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The cyber crime police have arrested a 29-year-old man in Mumbai in connection with an online fraud in which a Goa-based industrialist was allegedly cheated of over Rs 1.92 crore.
The industrialist (whose name has been withheld) was lured by scamsters through an offer of fictitious business deal with a US-based pharmaceutical company.
The police suspect that factoring in the modus operandi the online fraud could mostly probably a handiwork of Nigerians.
The accused has been identified as Sandeep Borkar, a driver from Thane, Maharashtra.
Borkar is believed to be a local accomplice of the Nigerian gang and also a beneficiary of the loot.
The police are looking out for more accused.
“The accused was traced in Mumbai and taken into custody by the cyber crime police team led by PI Rajesh Job and ASI Vikas Gaude after three days of investigation in Mumbai and surrounding areas,” said SP, cyber crime, Priyanka Kashyap
Giving details of the fraud, sources said that a few days back the cyber crime police had registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by an industrialist, who alleged that he had been defrauded of over Rs 1.92 crore.
The cyber crime police searched the house of the accused and found several bank passbooks, driving licences with different name and addresses.
The sources said the industrialist was lured by scamsters through a social media offering him a profitable business scheme with a pharmaceutical company based in the US. The scamsters hosted a fake website which was similar to the US-based pharmaceutical company and offered a business deal on supply of raw material from India. They had also provided the contact of the ‘seller’ (scamsters) from whom the raw material could be purchased. The cost of the material was said to be very high and so also the profit margin, which seems to have tempted the industrialist. Based on the requirements of the pharmaceutical company, the industrialist placed an order and subsequently received consignment of raw material from the seller. However, before it could be shipped to the US, the scamster made another demand for additional consignment. This went on for a couple of times, and that is when the industrialist realised that he has been taken for a ride.
The industrialist had already paid the amount of over Rs 1.92 crore towards the raw material whose authenticity was also in question, it is learnt.
The case is investigated by Job under the supervision of Kashyap.
