Team Goemkarponn
Valpoi: The Cyber Crime Police Station, Goa, has arrested a 23-year-old man from Nagpur, Maharashtra, in connection with a major online fraud involving more than ₹1.41 crore, carried out through an Indian Muslim free matrimonial website and fake forex trading platforms.
The case was registered on December 18, 2025, under Crime No. 50/25, invoking Sections 318(4) and 319(2) read with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act, following a complaint lodged by a resident of Valpoi, Sattari, Goa.
According to police, prior to December 16, 2025, the accused and his associates allegedly operated multiple WhatsApp numbers, Telegram accounts and a fraudulent website to lure victims. A woman identifying herself as “Samsiyabegaum,” using Profile ID 407386 on an Indian Muslim free matrimonial site, allegedly befriended the complainant and deceitfully induced him to invest in a fake forex trading platform, falsely projecting it as a legitimate and high-return investment opportunity.
Under this false pretext, the complainant was coerced into transferring a total amount of ₹1,41,64,894 through multiple transactions into various bank accounts controlled by the accused and his network. Police stated that the offence involved cheating by impersonation and unlawful use of computer resources.
Following a detailed technical and financial investigation, the Cyber Crime Police traced the money trail to Nagpur. A team led by PSI Navin Naik, along with PCs Ashish Naik, Siddhesh Palni and Mahesh Gaude, carried out the operation under the supervision of SP Rahul Gupta, IPS, ASP Smt. B.V. Shridevi, IPS, and PI Deepak Pednekar.
The accused has been identified as Rushabh Ishwariprasad Hanvate (23), a resident of Abha Nagar, Shivam Society, Pardi, Nagpur. Investigators revealed that Hanvate received ₹9,99,999 at the first layer in his bank account, which was later routed to multiple accounts belonging to his associates.
Further analysis revealed that the same bank account was linked to at least 19 other cyber fraud cases reported across different states in India.
The accused has been produced before the court and remanded to police custody. Police have also initiated the process to block the fraudulent website used in the scam. Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the racket and trace the remaining proceeds of crime, officials said.
