Fraudsters lure account holders with holidays to launder money

The North Cyber police have uncovered a new modus operandi used by fraudsters operating from abroad after the arrest of two individuals for facilitating cyber crimes by providing access to beneficiary bank accounts in a highly organised and deceptive mannerHoliday on offerAccording to police sources unlike previous cases wherein gang members lured beneficiaries with a small commission in exchange for the use of their bank accounts this gang adopted a more sophisticated strategy They offered free holiday packages of 23 days at resorts and threestar hotels in tourist destinations like Mahabaleshwar Pune and other nearby areas The beneficiaries were also offered a small amount of cash after the transaction was completedThe arrested duo has been identified as Mubasshir Rahatvelkar 43 and Suraj Khedkar 47 ldquoDuring their interrogation it was revealed that beneficiaries from various parts of the country were invited under the pretext of a leisure trip During their stay at the destination the accused who were present at the location would individually call the account holders to their rooms Once inside they would hand over online access of the beneficiaryrsquos bank account to the mastermind who operated from Cambodia The OTPs received on the beneficiariesrsquo registered mobile phones were then used to transfer large sums of money to other accountsrdquo said an officerAccording to the officer the arrested duo worked on a commission basis for cyber criminals operating from abroad ldquoThey provided logistical support by gathering account holders and arranging for their stay The beneficiaries were made to believe they were helping in a legal commissionbased scheme while in reality their accounts were being misused to transfer funds obtained fraudulentlyrdquo the officer said Rahatvelkar is believed to have a history of working on similar rackets while residing in Cambodia He and his associates played a crucial role in organising these holiday setups and coordinating remote access to bank accountsCase that led to arrestA few months ago a fraud case involving a sum of Rs 20 lakh was registered at the North Cyber police station The complainant was allegedly duped by fraudsters under the guise of share trading investments ldquoDuring the investigation when the beneficiary of the account to which the defrauded amount had been transferred was taken into custody and interrogated a new modus operandi came to light along with the names of the accused involvedrdquo said the officerldquoRahatvelkar had lured individuals by offering a holiday package at a resort in Mahabaleshwar Several people from different states had gathered at the location It was during this holiday that their bank account details were misused to facilitate the fraudulent transactionsrdquo he addedThe investigation began under the guidance of senior officials of the North Cyber police station including Police Inspector Sudhakar Humbe Assistant PI Anuradha Patil Assistant SubInspector Nitin More Head Constables Sachin Sawant Vidhyadhar Pawaskar Ganesh Ayre and Rakhshita Patil and Police Constable Nitin SuryawanshildquoRahatvelkar was traced and arrested from Katraj in Pune while Khedkar was arrested from Ahilyanagar Ahmednagar last month The duo was in police custody and on Wednesday remanded to judicial custodyrdquo another officer said adding that further investigation is underway