A gold loan taken from a financial institution reportedly led 3 men into cybercrime after they spent the borrowed money and needed funds to recover their pledged jewellery.
Kandivli police arrested Urvish Kumar Patel, Jani Kumar Patel and Ankit Kumar Patel for allegedly carrying out a malicious APK fraud that targeted 2 suburban residents and caused a combined loss of Rs 6.2 lakh.
On May 9, a Kandivli resident received a call from an unknown number at around 4 pm. The caller claimed that the resident’s MGL gas metre reading had not been updated. He was then sent a malicious APK file, which allegedly gave the accused access to his device screen. Rs 2.07 lakh was subsequently withdrawn from his bank account.
In another case on May 7, a different Kandivli resident received a call around noon from an unknown person who asked him to clear Rs 12 in gas metre-related dues. The caller again sent a malicious APK file, after which Rs 4.17 lakh was withdrawn from the victim’s bank account.
Kandivli police registered 2 separate FIRs. During the investigation, a team led by senior inspector Karan Sonkavde traced and arrested the 3 accused.
According to police, the trio had taken a loan from a financial institution by mortgaging gold jewellery. After spending the loan amount, they allegedly turned to cybercrime and transferred the stolen money to the institution to have their pledged jewellery released.
Police have seized Rs 6.24 lakh taken from the 2 complainants. The case was solved under the supervision of DCP Sandeep Ghuge.
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