Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have returned stolen and fraudulently acquired property worth Rs 1.18 crore to the rightful owners, news agency PTI reported, quoting officers.
At an event held in Shahapur on Tuesday, authorities announced the arrest of several individuals involved in theft and fraud cases. Gold, silver, cash, mobile phones, and other valuables have been recovered from them.
Using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, the police traced and recovered stolen or lost mobile phones worth Rs 21.38 lakh, an officer said.
Thane Rural Superintendent of Police Dr DS Swamy handed over the recovered items to their owners and commended the officers for their effective work.
Navi Mumbai Police bust trading fraud with links to China, Cambodia; 7 held
The Navi Mumbai Police have uncovered a share trading fraud network allegedly linked to cybercriminals in China and Cambodia and arrested seven persons who duped investors of crores of rupees, officers said.
As a result of this breakthrough, the cyber police have frozen 118 bank accounts across various states in India, securing a total amount of Rs 32.5 lakh linked to the fraudulent transactions, they added.
The cyber crime branch unearthed the fraud while probing the case of a victim who was cheated of Rs 1.07 crore, said officers.
The fraudsters targeted several victims between September 2 and October 8, luring them into sending money to multiple bank accounts after promising high profits in share market trading through investment advertisements on various social media platforms.
They used a fake application to show a large, but virtual, profit on the invested amount, luring the victims to invest larger sums based on the false profit display.
The fraudsters later refused to return the victims` original investment, according to the police, reported PTI.
The police operation, which involved days of intensive investigation across various hotels, resulted in the dismantling of a network connected to cyber fraudsters in China and Cambodia, the Navi Mumbai police said in a release on Tuesday.
The cyber police team initially arrested Suresh Talekar (29) and his accomplice Vikas Awhad (30) from Pune, reported PTI.
“Further investigation of a third accused (not arrested), indicated that he had met three unknown Hindi-speaking individuals, suspected to be from another state, at a hotel in Mahape, Navi Mumbai, to hand over SIM cards linked to certain bank accounts,” the release said.
The police inspected 35 to 40 lodges and hotels across Mahape, Sanpada, Koparkhairane, APMC, and Vashi areas in Navi Mumbai.
They nabbed five persons from a hotel in Vashi and arrested them in connection with the crime, the release said without identifying them.
(With PTI inputs)
