In connection with a significant financial wrongdoing, where a payment gateway service provider’s system was compromised and more than Rs 16,180 crore were misappropriated, the Thane, Maharashtra police have arrested another individual, as confirmed by an official to PTI. With this latest arrest, the police have now detained a total of four individuals related to the case filed at Naupada police station.
The most recent arrest pertains to Dinesh Dhondu Shirke (49), a partner in a business entity, apprehended in the Andheri suburb of neighboring Mumbai. Shirke’s involvement in the crime became apparent during the initial investigation carried out by the cyber cell.
Previously, the police had arrested Amol Andale, also known as Aman, Anup Dubey (26) from Bhayandar, and Sanjay Namdeo Gaikwad (42), a partner in a firm residing in Mumbai. The fraudulent activity had been ongoing for a significant duration, but it came to light after a complaint was filed with the Shrinagar police station in April 2023, reporting the hacking of the payment gateway system and the siphoning off of Rs 25 crore.
During the subsequent investigation, the cyber cell team uncovered numerous suspicious transactions totaling more than Rs 16,180 crore. The Naupada police registered a case against five individuals on October 6, citing various sections, including cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, criminal conspiracy, common intention, and provisions of the Information Technology Act.
The cyber cell is actively investigating the case, and further arrests are anticipated, as many others were involved in this extensive fraud over an extended period, according to the official’s statement. It was previously revealed that the accused had established multiple partnership firms using fraudulent documents to launder the ill-gotten funds, involving a total of five partnership firms, with transactions amounting to Rs 16,180 crore disclosed after analyzing 260 bank statements.
