Romance To Crypto Scams: Pimpri Chinchwad Cyber Police Arrest 11 In ₹2.11 Crore Fraud Cases  

Pimpri Chinchwad, June 17, 2025: In a major crackdown on cybercrime, the Cyber Police Station of Pimpri Chinchwad has arrested 11 accused involved in three major cyber fraud cases, defrauding citizens of a total of ₹2.11 crore. The arrests were made within five days from locations including Silvassa (Dadra & Nagar Haveli), Solapur, Dharashiv, Ahilyanagar, and Pune International Airport.

Stock Market Investment Scam : 

Victims were contacted via WhatsApp by individuals posing as stock market experts, promising high returns on IPO investments. They were persuaded to deposit ₹3.3 lakh through the fraudulent platform “http://t.me/EMCEE667.” The funds were transferred into accounts at Bandhan Bank and UCO Bank, with ₹2.1 lakh traced to Bandhan Bank, Silvassa.

Based on technical intelligence, the cyber team arrested Salman Rafiq Khan (32), Silvassa, Bunty Rameshbhai Panchal (30), Silvassa, Intakaf Idris Khan (36), Silvassa, Suraj Krishna Singh (34), Silvassa. 

Romance & Investment Scam via Dating App 

A woman posing as “Anamika” befriended the complainant on the Truly Madly dating app, promising marriage. She convinced the victim to invest in property and stock trading, siphoning ₹1.55 crore to various accounts.

One such account holder, Amit Ashok Ekbote, from Solapur, confessed that the account was used by others for fraudulent transactions. Further investigation led to the arrest of Shubham Chandrakant Mantha (25), Solapur (linked to Chinese firm “Holipay”), Swapnil Chandulal Baheti (35), Solapur, Prashik Uttam Navghare (26), Solapur. All three were apprehended at Pune International Airport, allegedly en route to Nepal via Patna.

Digital Arrest and Cryptocurrency Fraud 

In this case, ₹52.59 lakh was stolen from a complainant via a “digital arrest” scam. Earlier arrests of Akash Pathare and Avinash Tungar led to the identification of the key accused Vishal Palve, who operated multiple bank accounts and converted stolen funds to USDT cryptocurrency through CDM machines.

Palve was arrested in Ahilyanagar with 9 mobile phones, 23 bank passbooks, 35 debit cards, ₹6,400 cash, 1 notebook. 

Further arrests include Akshay Sadashiv Galwe, Ahilyanagar, Mayur Sunil Anecha, Ahilyanagar. 

The accused used decentralized wallets to mask identities and transfer funds abroad using crypto channels, reinvesting stolen money into the market.

The extensive operations were conducted under the guidance of Commissioner Vinaykumar Chaubey, Joint Commissioner Dr. Shashikant Mahavarkar, Addl. Commissioner Sarang Awhad, DCP Crime Sandeep Doifode, ACP Dr. Vishal Hire. 

The operation was executed by a dedicated cyber team led by PI Ravikiran Nale, supported by officers Praveen Swami, Sagar Poman, Vaibhav Patil, Prakash Katkade, Vidya Patil, and over 20 constables including Hemant Kharat, Atul Lokhande, Deepak Bhosale, and others.

Their relentless efforts in locations across India led to uncovering these large-scale fraud networks and halting the misuse of Indian and international financial systems.