Mumbai Woman Duped of Rs 49 Lakh in Cyber Fraud; Key Accused Arrested in Delhi

In a shocking cyber fraud case, the Mumbai Cyber Cell has arrested Mohammad Israr Abrar from Delhi for allegedly duping a senior consultant of a private company of approximately ₹49 lakh. The accused lured the victim under the pretext of offering high commissions for rating hotels online. Following his arrest, Abrar was brought to Mumbai for further investigation, and the Bandra court has remanded him to police custody. Abrar is accused of providing bank accounts to other cyber fraudsters for executing such scams. Investigations have revealed that his associates were also involved, and police have launched a special operation to nab them.

The complainant, originally from Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, resides in Santacruz, Mumbai, with her friend. She works as a senior consultant in a private firm. On March 9, she received a call from a woman named Priti Sharma, offering her a part-time job with daily earnings of ₹1,000. As a demonstration, the victim was asked to rate 20 hotels on Google, earning ₹50 per rating. The credited amount was promptly transferred to her bank account.

Encouraged by the easy task, Sharma persuaded the victim to believe she could earn ₹8,500 daily if she continued. Trusting her, the victim agreed and began rating hotels, receiving small payments in return. Impressed with her work, Sharma added her to a WhatsApp group and offered tasks with higher commissions. The victim was asked to complete prepaid tasks for which she transferred substantial amounts of money, with the promise of higher returns.

Between March 9 and March 13, 2024, the victim invested ₹49.28 lakh in various prepaid tasks. She received ₹29,700 as commission in her account but did not get the promised returns. Upon raising concerns, she was contacted by another woman, Maria, who demanded an additional ₹19.70 lakh to release her funds. When the victim refused, her mobile number was blocked, and she was removed from the group. Realizing the scam, she filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell.

Police Investigation

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under IPC Sections 120(B), 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 34, along with IT Act Sections 66(C) and 66(D). A detailed investigation revealed the bank account details used for the fraud, leading the police team to Delhi.

Mohammad Israr Abrar, a resident of Delhi, was apprehended and found to have ₹3.5 lakh from the fraudulent transactions in his account. He had withdrawn the amount and handed it over to his accomplices, keeping a small commission for himself. Following his arrest, he was brought to Mumbai for further questioning.

The police are now intensifying efforts to trace and arrest Abrar's associates, who are believed to be key players in this cyber fraud racket.