Thane Real Estate Agent Defrauded of Rs 383 Crore in Elaborate Identity Theft Scheme
Thane, 23rd September 2024: In a highly elaborate scheme, three individuals defrauded a real estate agent in Thane, Maharashtra, using his identity to conduct illegal bank transactions exceeding ₹383 crore.
The 38-year-old victim was reportedly unaware of the fraudulent activities until he received a notice from the bank, prompting him to file a complaint with the Kasarwadavli police, who registered a first information report (FIR) on Saturday.
The victim explained to the police that in May 2022, the suspects approached him with a job offer and obtained his identification documents, including his PAN and Aadhar numbers. They subsequently opened two bank accounts in his name and established fictitious shell companies linked to his mobile number and email address.
Using these accounts and companies, the fraudsters executed illegal transactions totalling over ₹383 crores until May 2023. The bank became suspicious and issued notices to the real estate agent, who had no connection to the accounts involved in the fraud.
The victim later reported the incident to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Thane, leading to a case being registered against Deepak Shukla, Rahul Patwa, and Chetan Khade. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet.
In a related incident, on September 17, police arrested a deputy manager at a private bank in Gurugram for allegedly aiding cybercriminals in opening a fraudulent bank account that was used to scam a Gurugram resident out of ₹25.5 lakh.
Additionally, in another complex case of cyber fraud, a 59-year-old man from Bengaluru was coerced into transferring ₹59 lakh as penalties after being falsely accused of money laundering. He was threatened with having his mobile number blocked and was put on a fake video call with scammers posing as CBI officers.
