The North Cyber police station has nabbed an active member of a gang involved in swindling lakhs of rupees under the pretext of renewing online medical insurance using the name of a reputed company. Nitesh Ganesh Sonwane, 30, was apprehended from his Goregaon residence following a detailed technical investigation. The police also seized a mobile phone from his possession, and he has been remanded to police custody till October 7.
According to the police sources, the 75-year-old complainant is a retired Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) manager, residing in Kandivli. The complainant had a mediclaim policy from ONGC. Whenever he or his wife required medicines, they would place an order by sending an email to the company and receive the medicines via home delivery.
When medicines were required in August, the complainant followed the same process and sent an email to the company. Subsequently, the complainant received a call from an unknown number on August 20 and August 23, via WhatsApp. The caller, posing as a company representative, claimed to assist in renewing the mediclaim policy for the next five years. Under this pretext, the fraudster guided the complainant over the phone, obtained bank details, OTP, and other confidential information, and subsequently siphoned off Rs 28, 86,056 lakh from the complainant’s account through multiple transactions. Upon realising the fraud, the complainant immediately contacted the cyber helpline and lodged a complaint. Acting under the supervision of senior officers, Inspector Kiran Aher initiated an investigation along with Sub-Inspector Amol Kamble.
After verifying the KYC details of the beneficiary account, address, and related information, the police arrested Sonawane from Goregaon on October 2. “During interrogation, Sonawane revealed that he had opened the bank account on the advice of an absconding accused whom he met through a mutual acquaintance. He claimed to have received only Rs 2000 for his involvement,” said an officer. Police said Sonawane has no prior criminal record. He earns his livelihood by organising school picnics and supporting his family through commission-based income. Nearly R10 lakh of the defrauded amount had been routed through his account and was handed over to the main cybercriminal.
“The information regarding the absconding accused has been obtained from Sonawane, and efforts to trace and apprehend him are underway. Cybercriminals use sophisticated methods to target senior citizens, particularly by posing as representatives of reputed firms. We urge the public not to share personal or banking information over phone calls, WhatsApp, or social media. Citizens are advised to report such incidents immediately by calling the Cyber Helpline ‘1930’ or by visiting cybercrime.gov.in or sancharsaathi.gov.in websites,” the officer added.
