Team Goemkarponn
BICHOLIM: In a significant breakthrough against cybercrime, Bicholim Police have arrested a 24-year-old man from Jamtara, Jharkhand, for allegedly duping a woman from Sanquelim of over ₹44,000 by posing as a Tata Sky representative.
The accused, identified as Pradeip Kumar Mandal, son of Mantu Mandal, was traced to Tarabahal village in Jharkhand after a rigorous technical surveillance operation and coordinated intelligence efforts by Goa Police.
He was brought to Goa and remanded to seven days of police custody by the JMFC Bicholim.
According to the complaint filed by Anusha Wadkar on June 18, Mandal contacted her using two mobile numbers, claiming to be from Tata Sky.
On the pretext of assisting with a DTH recharge, he convinced her to share sensitive banking details, including OTPs. Soon after, ₹44,340.76 was siphoned off from her bank account without her knowledge.
The case was registered under Bicholim PS Crime No. 87/2025 under Sections 318(2), 318(3), 318(4), and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023.
A dedicated team led by PSI Rashmir Parab Matondkar, along with Constables Rakesh Gaonkar and Narayan Gaonkar, operated under the supervision of PI Vijay Rane, SDPO Bicholim, and SP North Rahul Gupta, IPS, to crack the case.
Police revealed that Mandal is suspected to be involved in over 50 similar cyber frauds across the country.
The modus operandi involves acquiring victims’ mobile numbers from unverified platforms and impersonating officials from banks or companies to extract confidential banking information.
Further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the accused’s operations and identify potential accomplices.
