Cyber crime sleuths busted a gang that allegedly duped businessmen of ₹30 lakh last September after offering business partnerships in international companies.
Two persons were arrested. The accused — Aakash V. Goni, 39, and Surendra Rangad Puran, 42 — are from Mumbai. The police have recovered a car, six ATM cards and four mobile phones worth ₹3 lakh from them.
According to the police, Goni and Puran used to contact businessmen online posing as foreigners and top executives of a veterinary healthcare company based in US and Canada who are planning to set up a branch in India to develop animal vaccine. They would offer huge returns for the business venture and asked interested people to approach them.
A city-based businessman approached the duo, who asked him to buy chemicals in large quantities as the first step to set up the branch office.
A few hours later, the accused, posing as local vendors, approached the victim and offered the chemicals at throwaway prices before asking him to deposit the money in a bank.
The victim transferred ₹30 lakh to the bank account expecting to get 100 litres of flouride extract. However, as soon as the money was transferred, the accused switched off their phones.
Using a similar modus operandi, the accused had duped another Bengaluru-based businessman of ₹1.4 lakh in January this year.
Based on the complaint, the police, after seven months of investigations, tracked down Goni and Puran through call records and bank account details.
Based on the information given by them, the police arrested their associates Chethan Dharma, 29, from Roorkela in Odisha; Shamim Ahmed, 36, from Devariya district in Uttar Pradesh; and two foreigners Tubudi Mukadi Jean, 25, and Philip Opeyemi, 30.
The accused were part of an online racket with several bank accounts to help with money transfers, said the police, adding that Goni's father was a Kannada film director and producer. The police suspect that the gang might have duped hundreds of people online.
The accused have been taken into custody.
