Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Cyber Crime Police have arrested two persons from Maharashtra in connection with a fake online share investment fraud involving ₹39.01 lakh, and have successfully secured ₹23.12 lakh of the complainant’s money.
The case was registered as Crime No. 92/2026 on October 3, following a complaint by a 60-year-old resident of Porvorim, who alleged that he was cheated by fraudsters posing as investment advisers through a WhatsApp group named “A83 DI Wealth Growth Centre”.
According to the police, the fraud took place between August 21 and September 28, 2026. The accused allegedly lured the complainant with promises of attractive returns on online share investments and persuaded him to transfer a total of ₹39,01,047 into multiple bank accounts.
To gain his confidence, the fraudsters allegedly displayed fictitious profits through a fraudulent investment application. When the complainant attempted to withdraw his investment and purported earnings, they demanded further payments and subsequently stopped responding.
The case was registered under Sections 318(4) and 319(2), read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
During the investigation, the Cyber Crime Police scrutinised financial transactions, bank account details and technical evidence. The probe revealed that ₹10.80 lakh had been transferred to a Kotak Mahindra Bank account belonging to accused Ajinkya Ravindra Abhang, while ₹12 lakh had been transferred to a Bank of India account belonging to accused Sagar Prakash Dholvi.
Further investigation helped the police trace the accused to the Pune region of Maharashtra. A special team from the Goa Cyber Crime Police Station was subsequently dispatched to the state.
The team, headed by PSI Anil Polekar, arrested Sagar Prakash Dholvi at Narayangaon on October 23 and Ajinkya Ravindra Abhang at Alephata on October 24.
The arrests mark a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the alleged cyber financial fraud and the network used to route the proceeds.
SP Cyber Crime Jivba Dalvi appealed to the public to remain vigilant against online investment schemes circulated through WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and other social media platforms.
The police cautioned citizens against investment offers promising guaranteed or unusually high returns, unknown investment groups, unverified advisers and trading applications that display artificial profits. People were also advised never to transfer money to unknown personal or third-party bank accounts or pay additional charges to withdraw supposed investment earnings.
Citizens who suspect cyber financial fraud have been urged to immediately call the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or register a complaint through the official portal at https://cybercrime.gov.in.
The operation was carried out by a team comprising PI Chandrakant Gawas, PSI Anil Polekar, HC 5629 Anay Naik and PC 8844 Bhalchandra Naik. The investigation was conducted under the supervision of SP Cyber Crime Jivba Dalvi and Assistant Superintendent of Police Shridevi B. V., IPS, with guidance from Deputy Inspector General of Police Goa Ved Prakash Surya, IPS.
