A recent case uncovered by cyber crime sleuths of Pimpri Chinchwad has shed light on a young Bollywood aspirant from Odisha who unexpectedly found himself embroiled in a network of cyber mule accounts with connections to international masterminds in Cambodia. The investigation also led to the arrest of five syndicate associates from various parts of India, including Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, who were involved in handling mule accounts in over 100 cyber crime cases across the country.
The breakthrough in this case came when a cyber crime team of Pimpri Chinchwad police was investigating a share trading fraud incident in which a victim was defrauded of `7.6 lakh under the guise of high returns. The initial probe focused on a suspect named Shubham Londhe (24) from Pune’s Chikhali, who was found to be managing a few mule accounts himself and had provided access to another handler, Sam David. Further investigation revealed that Sam David was actually Sambidhkumar Shripati Nayak, a 22-year-old resident of Rourkela, Odisha, who had aspirations of making it big in Bollywood. It was discovered that Nayak had booked multiple hotel rooms in Pune where the mule account holders were residing.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode, Nayak had moved to Maharashtra with dreams of becoming a Bollywood star but got involved in illegal activities after coming into contact with individuals associated with international cyber crimes. Nayak was running a widespread network of mule account holders across India and was reporting to masterminds based in Cambodia.
During the investigation, the police checked the hotel rooms reserved by Nayak and found that the kits containing account details, debit cards, SIM cards linked to the accounts, and other tools were being transferred online to avoid detection. Subsequently, one of Nayak’s accomplices, Raj Ansh Singh (21) from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, was arrested for receiving and forwarding these kits to the masterminds in Cambodia. The interrogation of Singh and other suspects led to the apprehension of Himanshu Kumar Thakur (24) from Hazaribagh, Gaurav Sharma (40) from Gujarat, and Ankush More (31), a businessman from Nashik.
The investigation uncovered the intricate web of cyber crime operations orchestrated by Nayak and his associates, linking them to an international crime syndicate with roots in Cambodia. The authorities are now working to dismantle the network and bring those responsible to justice. This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by cyber criminals and the importance of vigilance in combating such illicit activities.