Cyber Fraud Racket Busted In Lonavala Villas; Four Arrested, ₹1 Crore Trail Uncovered
Cyber Fraud Racket Busted In Lonavala Villas; Four Arrested, ₹1 Crore Trail Uncovered
Pimpri-Chinchwad, March 17, 2026: In a major crackdown, the Cyber Police of Pimpri-Chinchwad have arrested four members of a cyber fraud network that was operating out of rented villas and guest houses in Lonavala, where they had stayed for nearly 10 days to route fraudulent funds through bank accounts.
The action was taken in connection with a cyber fraud case (Crime No. 51/2025), in which a victim was duped of ₹97.7 lakh after being lured into investing in share trading. Earlier, two accused had already been arrested and are currently in judicial custody, while ₹18 lakh from the defrauded amount has been frozen.
Investigations revealed that ₹8.25 lakh from the fraud was transferred into a Yes Bank current account linked to Monil Atulkumar Modi (24), a resident of Mehsana, Gujarat, operating under the name of a private firm. The accused had been evading arrest by frequently moving across states.
On March 12, police received information that Modi would be in Lonavala. Acting swiftly, a team led by Inspector Ravikiran Nale and Sub-Inspector Vaibhav Patil launched a search operation. After scanning nearly 400–500 villas in the area using technical surveillance, the team located and detained Modi along with three associates.
The other accused have been identified as Ravi Gokal Prasad Jat (21) from Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh; Rudrapal Singh Chauhan (22) from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh; and Hans Kailas Verma (19) from Borivali East, Mumbai.
Police seized a laptop, seven mobile phones, 14 debit cards, two web cameras, five bank account kits, a rubber stamp, two web cameras, and other equipment used in the operation. The accused were found actively transferring fraud money into an account at Utkarsh Small Finance Bank during the raid.
Further probe revealed that over ₹1 crore in cyber fraud money had been routed through the said account. The accused confessed to operating multiple current accounts across banks such as Bank of Baroda, Yes Bank, AU Small Finance Bank, Canara Bank, IDBI Bank, State Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank, and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank to channel fraudulent funds across different states.
Police said Modi was kept in a room inside the villa under webcam surveillance while funds were transferred into his account. Co-accused Jat and Chauhan would immediately transfer the money to other accounts via internet banking. The entire operation was monitored remotely through webcams, with Verma supervising the group and providing logistical support.
Investigators also found that the accused were promised a 1% commission on the money routed through their accounts. Jat and Chauhan were given fake job letters and ID cards from a China-based firm, “King Payment Global,” and were paid salaries of ₹30,000. All accused are educated and were receiving payments and commissions in USDT cryptocurrency.
Preliminary findings indicate that the operation was being controlled by handlers based in Hong Kong, who monitored the accused in real time via web cameras. Police said further investigation is underway to trace the international links of the racket.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey and other senior officers. Government prosecutor Suraj Mohite assisted in securing police custody remand for the accused.
