75-Year-Old Retired Ship Captain Duped Of тВ╣11.16 Crore In Stock Trading Scam, Accused Arrested From Dongri; Dubai Link Found
Fraudster Used Multiple Bank Accounts to Dupe 75-Year-Old Ship Captain of тВ╣11.16 Crore | File Photo
Mumbai: The South Cyber police have arrested a man from Dongri for defrauding a retired 75-year-old ship captain, Zhakshis Kosa Wadia, of Rs 11.16 crore in a stock trading scam.
The accused, Kaif Ibrahim Mansuri, misused multiple bank accounts for the fraud. The police seized 33 debit cards and 12 cheque books linked to various accounts. He has been sent to police custody till December 2.
Wadia, who retired in 1985, was added to a WhatsApp group investment club on August 19 this year. The group shared information about stock market investments, gradually gaining his trust. He was later sent a link that opened an account in the name of an investment company. Subsequently, a woman named Anya Smith contacted him, offering guidance on investments.
Following her advice, Wadia transferred nearly Rs 11.20 crore to 22 different bank accounts between September 5 and October 19. He was shown significant profits on the app, but when he attempted to withdraw the funds, the woman demanded 20% as tax.
When Wadia had questioned about multiple accounts, Smith claimed it was a tax-saving measure. After paying 20% as tax, the demand for additional money didnтАЩt stop, which raised his suspicion and he approached the cyber police.
During the investigation, it was found that Rs 6 lakh was withdrawn via cheque from an IDFC Bank account. The withdrawal was linked to a woman who provided her PAN card as KYC. On questioning, the woman revealed that she withdrew the amount on the instructions of Mansuri.
According to the probe, Mansuri facilitated fraudulent transfers of Rs 44 lakh across five bank accounts. He delivered the withdrawn cash to an angadia (traditional courier), who fled to Kerala to avoid arrest. A police team has been dispatched to Kerala to locate him.
Further inquiry has revealed that the angadia has a relative in Dubai, who facilitated the transfer of the fraudulently acquired money to a Chinese national residing there. This has led the police to suspect that the masterminds of the fraud are orchestrating the scam from Dubai. Authorities are intensifying efforts to trace the money trail and apprehend all persons involved in the scam.
Meanwhile, preliminary inquiries have revealed that the accused used WhatsApp numbers (+91 9748779379, +1 213-245-3081) and a fraudulent stock trading website link (https://stock.pluprostocks.com) to lure Wadia.
The bank accounts used for the scam were held by different individuals across multiple banks, including UCO Bank, ICICI Bank, Canara Bank, Bandhan Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, and Catholic Syrian Bank. These accounts were located in Mumbai, Bhopal, Nagpur, Surat, Hyderabad, and Jaipur. The police have sought details of the beneficiaries from the respective banks.
