In connection with the breach of a payment gateway service provider’s system, leading to the identification of suspicious transactions amounting to Rs. 16,180 crore, Thane police have expanded their investigation, resulting in the apprehension of two additional individuals including a CA. This development has brought the total number of arrests in the case to 11, as reported by officials.
A 30-year-old Chartered Accountant from Vashi in Navi Mumbai and a 35-year-old businessman from Kandivali in neighbouring Mumbai was taken into custody on Tuesday night by the cyber police. Their involvement in the criminal activities was substantiated during the ongoing investigation, according to information provided in a police release cited by Outlook India.
Before these latest arrests, the Thane police in Maharashtra had already detained nine individuals, whose complicity in the illicit activities had previously been uncovered. The accused are accused of establishing multiple partnership firms using fraudulent documents, thus facilitating the laundering of unlawfully acquired funds.
The police revealed that the fraudulent activities had persisted over an extended period, but they came to light following a complaint lodged at the Srinagar police station in April 2023, pertaining to the hacking of the payment gateway system. The complaint specifically pointed to an unauthorised transfer of Rs. 25 crore.
Further scrutiny of the case unveiled the pivotal role played by the chartered accountant in facilitating the deception. The accountant allegedly provided fake Form 15CA and 15CB, required for foreign remittances, for which he purportedly received a nominal payment of Rs. 10,000 per certificate. The fraudulent transactions orchestrated by this individual date back to 2021.
As the investigation progressed, the cyber cell team uncovered additional suspicious transactions, bringing the total amount under scrutiny to over Rs. 16,180 crore. On October 6, the Naupada police in the city formally registered a case, invoking relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 467, 468 (forgery), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (common intention), in addition to provisions of the Information Technology Act. This comprehensive legal action underscores the severity of the alleged offences and the authorities’ commitment to addressing the complex web of financial deception.
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