MUMBAI: A 20-year-old student from Andheri, Mumbai, has been arrested in connection with a ₹6 lakh cyber-fraud money-laundering operation. According to cybercrime investigators, the student allegedly allowed fraudsters to “park” illicit proceeds in his bank account.
Funds Parked in an Innocent-Looking Account
Prosecutors say the student, identified as Harshal Bhalerao, received ₹6 lakh that was part of a larger ₹79.14 lakh scam targeting a 56-year-old businessman. The victim was duped between May 16 and June 1 by a quartet of women impersonating property dealers and forex traders. They coaxed the businessman into making payments via a phoney trading app. Bhalerao acted as a financial intermediary, withdrawing the money and handing it off to a senior member of the alleged syndicate. The core suspects remain at large, and tracing the chain of transactions is still underway.
Romance-Based Investment Lure and Students’ Involvement
The fraud reportedly began with one of the scammers, identified as “Nitya Agrawal,” connecting with the businessman via social media. She offered high returns on financial investments and shared a family photo to build trust. A custom app provided the illusion of profit growth, encouraging the victim to transfer nearly ₹80 lakh under the promise of unlocking earnings. When withdrawal requests were declined, the victim’s son flagged the activity as suspicious, leading to a cybercrime complaint on June 6.
Though Bhalerao has been detained, he claims ignorance of the fraud’s origin and maintains he was a passive participant, believing he was helping in a legitimate transaction. Cybercrime officials, however, stress that knowingly facilitating the movement of illicit funds is an offence under India’s anti-money laundering norms.
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Wider Syndicate and Ongoing Probe
Cybercrime detectives, including Senior Inspector Nandkumar Gopale, Inspector Suresh Bhoye, and Sub-Inspector Shweta Dhok, are leading the investigation. While the four primary female suspects remain at large, officials are combing through banking records, app logs, and WhatsApp communication. They are pursuing leads that suggest the network’s reach may extend across other Indian metro cities and online fraud hubs.
