New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Delhi Police has apprehended a man from Pune for allegedly cheating a Delhi-based woman of over Rs 12 lakh after luring her with promises of high returns on cryptocurrency investments, an official said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Rugved Ashwin Dengle, a resident of Kasba Peth, Pune and was involved in operating mule accounts to receive the cheated money, which was later withdrawn or converted to cryptocurrency.
Police said that on May 20, the victim filed two complaints where the woman alleged that she had been duped of Rs 12.85 lakh by a man posing as a financial advisor on social media.
The accused promised high returns on cryptocurrency investments and persuaded her to transfer money across multiple bank accounts.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said, “Believing the assurances, the complainant made 29 transactions into multiple bank accounts as instructed by the fraudster. However, when she attempted to withdraw her supposed profits, she was denied access.” A case was registered, and a detailed probe into the transcription trail was launched. Team traced one of the beneficiary accounts in Pune, which had recorded unusually high transaction activity within a short span.
Subsequently, a raid was conducted at the location, and Dengle was apprehended. He was later brought to Delhi, where he was formally arrested.
Police recovered 14 ATM cards, 15 chequebooks, six bank passbooks, four smartphones, and Rs 3.45 lakh in cash from his possession.
During interrogation, Dengle revealed that he had previously invested in the production of local films but suffered losses. He later got involved with cybercriminals through social media.
“He admitted to arranging mule bank accounts, receiving the cheated amounts in exchange for USDT (a cryptocurrency) and then routing the money through multiple accounts before withdrawing it”, police said. He is a B.Sc (Chemistry) graduate.
Further investigation is underway to identify his accomplices and trace the rest of the funds. PTI BM SMV HIG
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