Mumbai: Mumbai Cybercrime Police have arrested two men from Bihar and Jharkhand in connection with an alleged ₹48.60 lakh Boss Scam targeting an accountant at a pipe company. According to the police, the accused impersonated the company’s CEO on WhatsApp and instructed the accountant to urgently transfer money to a bank account. The investigation has also allegedly linked the two accused to at least seven other similar cases across India.
The case was registered on February 26, 2026. According to the police, the complainant, an accountant at a Mumbai-based pipe company, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The sender claimed to be the company’s CEO and said he was busy in a meeting and needed money transferred urgently to a bank account. The WhatsApp account reportedly used the actual CEO’s name and profile photograph, leading the accountant to believe that the message was genuine. Acting on the instructions, he transferred ₹48.60 lakh.
The investigation found that the defrauded money was transferred to an alleged mule bank account in Kolkata. Police then began tracing the mobile number used by the fake CEO. The SIM was eventually traced to Rukundi Pur in Bihar, where police arrested Aamir Chand Mohammad Khan on August 14. According to investigators, Khan was an Airtel point-of-sale SIM vendor.
The investigation subsequently led police to Jharkhand, where Khan’s alleged associate, Suraj Kumar Pradeep Kumar Saw, also known as Vishal, was arrested near Jamtara on August 16. Both accused were produced before the Girgaon magistrate court on August 19 and were remanded to police custody from August 20 to August 25.
According to the police, examination of the SIM card uncovered a major identity misuse. The number allegedly used to contact the accountant while impersonating the CEO was registered in the name of an Army personnel. The soldier had returned to his home in Bihar while on leave from his posting in Telangana and had approached the SIM vendor to port his Jio number to Airtel.
Police allege that Khan collected the soldier’s documents for e-KYC and activated the SIM. He allegedly later told the soldier that there was a technical problem and that the SIM could not be activated. Investigators suspect that the activated SIM was subsequently handed over to Vishal and used in the Boss Scam targeting the accountant.
Khan has also been accused of illegally activating SIM cards using the documents and e-KYC details of other Bihar residents. According to the police, he allegedly sold eight such SIM cards to Vishal for ₹6,000 through UPI.
The investigation further revealed that the two accused were allegedly connected with eight people arrested earlier in similar Boss and CEO impersonation cases in Mumbai. Those eight suspects were arrested on July 25, 2026. Police said the cases linked to that group involved fraud of around ₹10.40 crore, of which approximately ₹6 crore has been recovered so far.
Police have allegedly seized 161 SIM cards, a megaphone and a POCO mobile phone containing the Airtel Mitra application used for SIM activation. Investigators said the entire defrauded amount of ₹48.60 lakh has been placed on hold, while the investigation remains underway. The accused have been booked under Sections 338(3) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
In a Boss Scam, fraudsters typically impersonate senior company officials or CEOs and pressure employees into making urgent financial transfers. Cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said employees should independently verify any financial instruction and should never transfer company funds solely on the basis of messages received through WhatsApp or social media. Regulatory authorities have also cautioned companies and regulated entities against acting on financial instructions received through social media platforms.
