Mumbai : In a shocking revelation, a staggering Rs 25 crore has been siphoned off following a cyberattack on payment gateway giant Safex Payout. The Thane City Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has swiftly responded by filing an FIR and commencing a comprehensive investigation into this multi-crore fraud.
The alleged wrongdoers are accused of illicitly establishing unregistered partnership firms using counterfeit documents, thus defrauding the government. A startling discovery revealed that as many as 260 bank accounts were associated with these nefariously established partnership firms, facilitating transactions amounting to the astronomical sum mentioned.
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Tue 21 Oct. 2024
The initial trigger for this investigation came when an unidentified individual successfully hacked into Safex Payout’s software a few months ago, orchestrating a fraudulent operation amounting to Rs 25 crore. The company’s legal advisor promptly filed a hacking and cyber fraud case with the Shrinagar police station, leading to Thane police’s cyber cell taking charge of the inquiry.
Further unraveling the intricate web of deceit, investigators traced a fraudulent transfer of Rs 1.39 crore to an account held by Riyaal Enterprises, a company with offices in Vashi and Belapur in Navi Mumbai. Upon conducting searches at these locations, law enforcement officials uncovered a treasure trove of documents, including multiple bank accounts and contract agreements.
Upon close examination of these documents, it emerged that, at a single address, five partnership firms had been registered under different individuals’ names, all utilizing counterfeit and forged documents. Interrogation of Riyaal Enterprises’ employees yielded details of an astonishing 250 bank accounts and notarized partnership firm agreements, all of which raised suspicions.
An officer from the Thane police revealed, ‘When details of these bank accounts were obtained, it was found that transactions worth Rs 16,180 crore were carried out using these bank accounts over a period of time.’ Some of these transactions even extended overseas, underscoring the extent of the government’s financial loss due to the establishment of bank accounts in the names of unregistered partnership firms using fraudulent documentation.
In response, police have proactively initiated a case against the suspects, identified as Sanjay Singh, Amol Andhale alias Aman, Kedar alias Sameer Dighe, Jitendra Pandey, Navin, and others. They are facing charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, including 420, 409, 467, 468, 120(B), 34, 66(C), and 66(D).
The Thane City Police’s EOW continues to delve deeper into this elaborate financial fraud, as authorities strive to bring the culprits to justice.”
