Mumbai: Dahisar Police Arrest Two in Online Fraud Case Involving Lucknow Police Impersonation

A special team of Dahisar Police has arrested two individuals from Mira Road for their involvement in an online fraud case where a woman was duped using the name of Lucknow Police. The accused have been identified as Varun Kumar Omprakash Tiwari and Sachin Sagnath Mishra. The duo is alleged to have provided bank accounts to cyber fraudsters for executing their schemes. Police have successfully frozen over 10 bank accounts linked to the fraud. Further investigations have revealed the involvement of other suspects, and a special operation has been launched to apprehend them.

The complainant, a 35-year-old woman residing in Dahisar and working in a private company in Andheri, Mumbai, was targeted on November 28 while she was at home. She received a call from a woman identifying herself as Sarika Sharma, claiming to be from a Delhi-based telecom company. Sarika alleged that the woman’s Aadhaar card had been linked to multiple mobile numbers, which were used to open bank accounts in Lucknow. It was further claimed that these accounts were involved in fraudulent activities.

The call was then transferred to another individual named Sunil Kumar, who posed as a Crime Branch officer. He informed the victim that a criminal case was registered against her, which could lead to a 10-year imprisonment. Using scare tactics, he convinced her to transfer a sum of money to prove her innocence.

Believing the claims, the woman initially transferred some money. However, when the caller demanded more money the next day and threatened arrest, the woman refused and blocked her bank account. Realizing the fraud, she immediately approached Dahisar Police and also lodged a complaint with the Cyber Helpline.

Following the complaint, Dahisar Police registered a case under relevant sections of cheating and IT Act against unknown cyber fraudsters. Based on technical evidence, Varun Kumar Tiwari and Sachin Mishra were identified and apprehended from Mira Road. Investigations revealed that the duo provided bank accounts to cyber fraudsters, enabling them to launder stolen money.

The accused had opened over 10 bank accounts where the defrauded amounts were deposited. Police have frozen all these accounts to prevent further misuse. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the cyber fraud network.