Crypto fraud Economic Offences Wing arrests Malaysian national

Special Correspondent

ECONOMIC Offences Wing (EoW) of the City Police arrested a Malaysian national, who along with four locals, allegedly duped several citizens of over Rs 38.26 lakh under the pretext of doubling their investment in cryptocurrency within 90 days. Mike Lucy alias Baharuddin Bin Mohammad Yunus, a native of Malaysia, was wanted since 2017. The City Police had issued a look out circular against him. Mike Lucy was apprehended at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, when he was trying to board an International flight to flee the country. Soon after receiving information that Mike Lucy was caught at the airport, a team of EoW comprising API Sangharshi, HC Yogesh and HC Nilesh, under the supervision of Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar and Deputy Commissioner of Police (EoW) Archit Chandak, left for Delhi and took him into custody.

Facing charges under Sections 406,409,420 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Sections 3,4,5,6 of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978, EoW officers produced him before a magisterial court and obtained remand for his custodial interrogation till January 12. Mike Lucy had floated Future Bit Company. He, with the assistance of other accused Nishedh Wasnik, Abhijeet Shirgirwar (both from Nagpur), Shami Jaiswal and Krishna Bhandarkar (both from Gondia) had orchestrated investment seminar(s) at Radisson Blu Hotel where he allegedly enticed unsuspecting individuals with promises of high returns on cryptocurrency investments.

The accused had lured the individuals that if they invest in cryptocurrency, their money would double in 90 days. People approached the accused and started transactions with them on their website www.thefuturebit.com and were ultimately defrauded. Earlier, EoW officers had arrested accused Nishedh Wasnik, Shami Jaiswal, Krishna Bhandarkar and Abhijeet Shrigirwar and filed a chargesheeted against them in the court. API Mudhe is conducting further investigation in the case.