Cops Uncover Massive Cyber Fraud Racket After Job-Seeking Woman Faces ₹5 Crore Tax Shock

Panic Over Income Tax Notice Reveals Huge Cybercrime Scam in Mumbai
MUMBAI: The Malwani police in Malad have broken a massive cybercrime racket operating on false job offers, identity theft, and illegal banking. The probe began with the complaint of 20-year-old Tamanna Gaus, who got a demand notice from the Income Tax Department for unaccounted cash deposits worth ₹5 crore in bank accounts she claimed never to have opened.

On April 3, Gaus, a woman from Gosalia Compound in Malwani, Malad West, went to the police, clearly shaken by the sudden financial burden. She categorically asserted that she was unaware of any accounts or transactions in her name. Gaus’s link to the case was as little as she provided her personal documents to strangers who had assured her they could arrange a job for her.

“She was clearly upset, claiming that she never even saw ₹5 crore, let alone handled it. That raised our warning bells, indicating that there was something more complex going on,” said a senior police officer.

Following her complaint, an FIR was registered against unknown individuals under Section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, including Sections 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation).

The operation was later traced to two young men: 21-year-old Abhishek Pandey of Borivali West and 22-year-old Akash Vishwakarma of Kandivali East. They were both arrested for questioning and are thought to have been “bank account providers” to cybercriminals. The two reportedly took identity papers from unsuspecting job applicants under the pretext of providing employment.

Pandey and Vishwakarma opened several bank accounts in fictitious names, usually with the help of women who posed as the real document owners. These accounts were later provided to cyber fraudsters, who operated in various parts of the world, to launder money earned through scams involving impersonation of government and bank officials,” explained the officer.

The magnitude of the racket came to light when a police raid led to the confiscation of 115 bank passbooks, 271 credit and debit cards, 204 SIM cards, and ₹80,000 in cash. Gaus’s identity is thought to have been one of many manipulated in a larger game, and more victims could have been targeted in the same way.

They seemed to have carried out a massive operation, collecting CVs and KYC papers by making employment promises. The victims had no idea whatsoever that their identities were being used to carry out organized cyber fraud,” the officer stated. The officials are now conducting inquiries to trace links to overseas fraud rings.

Pandey and Vishwakarma have been remanded into police custody for five days as the probe goes on. Police are trying to identify other members of the syndicate and how many more people might have unwittingly become fronts for crime.