Cyber Crime
How Pune Cyber Cop Turned Kidnapper To Extort Bitcoins Worth Rs 300 Cr, 8 Arrested
PUNE: Cops from the Wakad police station in Pimpri Chinchwad have detained eight people, including a police officer, for allegedly kidnapping a man in order to extort bitcoin worth Rs 300 crore.
The police officer, deployed at Pune cyber crime department was previously caught taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 in 2019. He learned that the victim who is involved in share market trading had acquired cryptocurrency.
According to Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Krishna Prakash, the accused kidnapped share dealer Vinay Sundarrao Naik of Tathawade on January 14 from Hotel Samadhan in Tathawade. However, the kidnappers later freed him in Wakad after the accused policeman, constable Dilip Tukaram Khandare, learned that Wakad police were attempting to locate the culprits.
“A total of eight people have been arrested, including the mastermind, an accused police officer,” Police chief said.
He added that during questioning, policeman Khandare revealed that while working with the Pune cyber crime cell, he discovered that the Naik possesses cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) worth Rs 300 crore. He plotted the conspiracy with others and kidnapped the businessman.
Rafiq Alauddin Syed (38) filed a complaint with Wakad police station on January 14 alleging that his friend Naik was kidnapped by 7-8 people in a car. An FIR was filed, and the investigation was launched on the orders of Senior Police Inspector Dr Vivek Muglikar, in-charge of the Wakad police station.
On the basis of technological analysis of the mobile phone location as well as CCTV camera footage, the police squad began hunting down the accused. When the accused learned that the police were following them, they returned Naik to Wakad. Naik told police that he was kidnapped for Bitcoin and Rs 8 lakh by eight people.
According to Naik, police arrested four people from Mumbai, Sunil Ram Shinde (49), Vasant Shyamrao Chavan (47), Francis Timothy D’Souza (50), and Mayur Mahendra Shirke (35) and recovered a car used in the crime. They had taken Naik to a remote location in Alibag, Koparwadi Marg, Jalpada, Raigad district.
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“The arrested accused named their accomplices Pradip Kashinath Kate, Dilip Tukaram Khandare, Sanjay alias Nico Rajesh Bansal, and Shirish Chandrakant Khot,” added Inspector Muglikar. They informed us that the accused Khandare had planned the crime.”
While examining Dilip Tukaram Khandare’s history, it was discovered that he was employed as a police constable at the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate and was now missing from job. He was detained by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) in 2019 while working at the Chikhali police station and taking a Rs 10,000 bribe.
He was previously posted at the Pune city police cybercrime cell, where he completed courses such as Crime Investigation Techology, Basic Hardware and Network Information, and Mobile Forensics.
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“We apprehended Khandare at Bhosari. During interrogation, he told us that while working for the Pune police, he learned that Naik owned Bitcoin cryptocurrency valued Rs 300 crore. He decided to kidnap Naik and extort the money,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Anand Bhoite (Zone 2).
Other suspects arrested include Pradip Kashinath Kate of Dapodi, Shirish Chandrakant Khot of Navi Mumbai, Sanjay alias Nikki Rajesh Bansal of Navi Mumbai, and Dilip Tukaram Khandare of Bhosari from Hotel Ranjai in Hinjawadi.
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