Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pimpri Chinchwad, 17th March 2026: The Pimpri Chinchwad Cyber Police Station has successfully dismantled a sophisticated cyber-gang that operated out of a luxury villa in Lonavala for ten days. The gang was specialized in laundering money obtained through share trading scams. In a startling revelation, investigators found that the accused were being monitored 24/7 via webcams by handlers based in Hong Kong.
The investigation began with a complaint (Crime No. 51/2025) involving a victim who was duped of тВ╣97,70,000 under the pretext of high returns on share trading investments. While two accused had been arrested previously and remain in judicial custody, the police had already frozen тВ╣18,00,000 related to the case.
The Lonavala Raid
On March 12, 2026, API Pravin Swami received a tip-off that the prime suspect, Monil Atulkumar Modi, was arriving in Lonavala. Under the guidance of senior officials, Police Inspector Ravikiran Nale dispatched a team led by PSI Vaibhav Patil.
The team conducted technical analysis and narrowed the location down to a complex of 400 to 500 villas. They successfully apprehended Monil Modi and three associates. The police seized an array of equipment used for cybercrime, including:
01 Laptop
07 Mobile Phones
14 Debit Cards
02 Webcams
05 Bank Account Kits
01 Rubber Stamp
International Links and Modus Operandi
Interrogations revealed that the accused used a Current Account under the name тАЬVeltora Technologies PrivateтАЭ at Yes Bank to receive fraud proceeds. One specific account at Utkarsh Small Finance Bank showed transactions exceeding тВ╣1 Crore.
The gangтАЩs operation was highly structured:
Surveillance: The handlers in Hong Kong kept the accused under constant watch via webcams installed in their Lonavala villa to ensure the money was transferred immediately upon receipt.
Fake Employment: To mask their activities, the handlers provided the accused with fake appointment letters and ID cards from a Chinese firm, тАЬKing Payment Global.тАЭ
Crypto Payments: The accused were paid a monthly salary of тВ╣30,000 plus a 1% commission, delivered via USDT (Cryptocurrency).
Details of the Accused
The following individuals have been arrested:
Monil Atulkumar Modi (24), resident of Mehsana, Gujarat.
Ravi Gokul Prasad Jat (21), resident of Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh.
Rudrapal Singh Gajendrasingh Chauhan (22), resident of Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.
Hans Kailas Verma (19), resident of Borivali East, Mumbai.
The Investigation Team
The operation was conducted under the leadership of CP Vinay Kumar Choubey, Jt. CP Dr. Shashikant Mahavarkar, Addl. CP Sarang Awad, DCP (Crime) Dr. Shivaji Pawar, and ACP (Crime-1) Dr. Vishal Hire.
The executing team included: PI Ravikiran Nale, API Pravin Swami, PSI Vaibhav Patil, PSI Sagar Poman, PSI Rohit Dolas, PSI Prakash Katkade, and PSI Vidya Patil.
The enforcement staff consisted of Deepak Bhosale, Hemant Kharat, Vinayak Mhaskar, Subhash Patil, Kiran Devkar, Saurabh Ghate, Shrikant Kabule, Pravin Shelkande, Atul Lokhande, Sopan Bodhwad, Madhav Arote, Nitesh Bichewar, and Dipali Chavan.
Public Prosecutor Suraj Mohite assisted the police in securing police custody for the accused to further the investigation.
The post Pune: Hong Kong-Based Handlers Ran Cyber Fraud From Lonavala Villa, Police Arrest Four in Rs 97 Lakh Investment Scam appeared first on Punekar News.
