In a major breakthrough, the Nagpur Cyber Police have unearthed a major inter-state scam that lured investors with promises of lucrative stock market returns - only to vanish with over Rs 120 crore. The fraud, which spanned multiple North Indian states, has left more than 250 victims grappling with financial losses. The police have arrested three fraudsters, while the alleged masterminds are on the run. The arrested accused have been identified as Sunil Pratap Singh Rajput (28), a resident of Jairampur Colony, Chhatripura, Indore, Madhya Pradesh (MP); Abhishek Chandrakant Gupta (35), a resident of Gali No. 28, Nanda Nagar; and Bunty alias Vihan Kamalchand Solanki (30), a resident of Mohandham Colony, Tejaji Nagar. All hail from Indore.

 

The absconding masterminds have been named as Amit and Yogesh, both former call centre employees from Delhi who later moved to Indore. According to police officials, Amit and Yogesh established a fake call centre in Pardeshipura, Indore and employed over 20 jobless youths on the salary of Rs 14,000/- per month. These employees would call citizens from Hindi-speaking states such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Victims were lured with promises of hefty returns through stock market investments. Over the course of the operation, the gang reportedly duped over 250 persons across the country. One such victim, Rajesh Sukram Dongre (55), a resident of Housing Board Colony, Pachpaoli in Nagpur, was defrauded of Rs 63.17 lakh. Dongre recently returned to Nagpur after working abroad for many years. He had lodged a complaint with the Cyber Police in March 2024. Following his report, a detailed investigation was launched by the police.

 

During the raid, police confiscated several electronic devices, including laptops, mobile phones, CPUs and other technical equipment valued at Rs 15 lakh. The call centre has been sealed and police are currently analysing data from hard drives. Under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Lohit Matani, with Police Inspector Baliram Sutar, Assistant Police Inspector Kavikant Chaudhary and head constables Shailesh, Praful, Yogesh and Rohit have made the arrest. Based on digital surveillance, a raid was conducted on the Indore-based call centre and the accused were arrested. Deputy Commissioner Matani stated that the scale of the fraud could expand further as digital evidence is reviewed. The three accused are currently in police custody until May 15, while efforts to trace and arrest Amit and Yogesh continue.