Investigations reveal a sprawling cyber-fraud operation involving a social media influencer, with links to Hong Kong and China, as authorities trace the flow of Rs 10.74 crore stolen from an elderly victim through thousands of bank accounts and cryptocurrencies.
Pune police say they have uncovered a sprawling cyber-fraud network in which a social media influencer allegedly helped move Rs 10.74 crore stolen from an 82-year-old resident through thousands of bank accounts, with investigators now tracing possible links to handlers in Hong Kong and China. The case, described by officers as a classic “digital arrest” scam, has become one of the city’s most closely watched cybercrime probes.
According to police and local reports, the victim was first contacted in January by criminals posing as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation and, in some accounts, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. He was told his name had surfaced in a criminal case and was threatened with arrest unless he complied. Under that pressure, the man transferred the money in several instalments, only realising later that he had been duped and going to the police.
Investigators say their first major lead came from an ATM withdrawal, which helped them arrest Harshad Subhash Dhantole and Samarth Suresh Deshmukh, and later Amar Shivaji Attargi. Police allege Dhantole said the cash was handed to influencer Rohan Jadhav, who was also known as a reel creator and ran a celebrity management business. Officials said Jadhav then went into hiding before surrendering in court.
Police allege the money was channelled through 5,436 bank accounts to blur the trail, with Telegram chats and video calls linking Jadhav to overseas handlers. Investigators suspect the proceeds were settled using cryptocurrency, a method increasingly used in cyber fraud because it can complicate tracing and recovery. Reports said authorities have frozen about Rs 40 lakh and recovered Rs 4.78 lakh in cash, while two separate cases have been filed against Jadhav in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The investigation remains open as officers look for a wider cross-border network behind the scam.
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