Thane: Cyber fraudsters have once again targeted residents of Maharashtra’s Thane city, cheating six victims out of nearly ₹43.95 lakh through a series of sophisticated online scams. The frauds involved fake gas bill payment alerts, promises of high returns from stock market investments, Telegram-based trading schemes, luxury helicopter pilgrimage packages and fraudulent investment plans. Separate FIRs have been registered at Chitalsar, Kapurbawdi and Vartak Nagar police stations, and investigations are underway.
According to police, the fraudsters adopted different identities to gain the victims’ trust. Some posed as employees of a gas distribution company, while others claimed to be investment advisers, stock trading experts or travel company representatives. Preliminary investigations indicate that the victims were persuaded to transfer money through online transactions into multiple bank accounts controlled by the accused.
In the first case registered at Chitalsar police station, the family of a 43-year-old woman received a call from a person claiming to represent a metropolitan gas agency. The caller alleged that a gas bill was overdue and sent an APK file for payment verification. As soon as the file was installed on the mobile phone, the fraudsters gained access to the device and siphoned ₹5.69 lakh from the victim’s bank account.
In another case at the same police station, a 57-year-old woman was lured with promises of high and secure returns from stock market investments. She was directed to a fraudulent investment platform through a link and transferred ₹10.56 lakh in multiple instalments. After receiving the money, the accused stopped responding and disappeared.
A third case registered at Kapurbawdi police station involved a 42-year-old man who was promised substantial profits through stock market investments. The accused, posing as an experienced investment adviser, convinced him to transfer ₹7 lakh into different bank accounts. Once the payments were made, all communication from the fraudster ceased.
In another Kapurbawdi case, a 40-year-old woman was added to a Telegram-based stock trading group through a shared link. Initially, the platform displayed small profits to build confidence before encouraging her to invest larger amounts. She eventually transferred more than ₹5.02 lakh, but neither received the promised returns nor recovered her principal investment.
At Vartak Nagar police station, one complainant was duped after being offered a luxury Char Dham pilgrimage package with helicopter services covering Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Badrinath. The accused claimed to represent a private helicopter services company and collected ₹5.17 lakh for the booking. After the payment was made, neither the tour was organised nor was the money refunded.
In the sixth case, a woman invested ₹9.50 lakh in an online investment scheme after being assured of attractive profits. When she later sought to withdraw her money, she was removed from the WhatsApp group through which the scheme had been promoted. She subsequently filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, following which police registered a case.
Police suspect that the six incidents may be linked to organised cyber fraud networks using fake investment platforms, messaging applications, malicious mobile applications and social engineering tactics to deceive victims. Investigators are analysing bank accounts, mobile numbers, IP addresses and digital transaction records to identify those involved and trace the movement of the stolen funds.
According to the Future Crime Research Foundation, cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting fake APK files, fraudulent investment applications, Telegram trading channels and online travel booking offers to target unsuspecting users. The organisation advises people to verify every payment request through official sources, download applications only from authorised app stores, avoid installing APK files received through messages, and never transfer money based solely on unsolicited investment or travel offers. Such precautions remain the most effective defence against evolving cyber fraud schemes.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
