Mumbai: Battling the challenges of language and terrain in Kashmir, a team of Cyber Police from Mumbai tracked down two men involved in a Rs 11 lakh investment fraud, largely on the basis of technical analysis. The duo was brought to Mumbai and arrested.The fraud dates back to Nov-Dec 2025. The target was a 48-year-old media and entertainment freelance professional from Kandivali West. He received a message over WhatsApp from a woman not known to him. She said her name was Marilyn Fonseca and she could help him invest and earn profits from the stock market. Fonseca convinced the complainant to join a WhatsApp group where tips on making investments were shared.Two weeks later, Fonseca asked the complainant to download an app from Play Store and make investments through the ‘Online Customer Service’ bot in the app. The complainant transferred Rs 10.55 lakh. About 10 days later, the app showed that his balance was double the original investment. But when he tried to withdraw it, he was unsuccessful. He eventually contacted the cyber crime helpline and an FIR was registered by North Cyber Police.A team led by DCP Bajrang Bansode and comprising senior inspector Pramod Kamble, inspector Sunil Lokhande, assistant inspector Rahul Khetre and sub-inspector Rohan Ahire started examining the money trail, details of the beneficiary bank account where the scammed funds had been transferred and KYC records. They found that the mobile number linked to the beneficiary bank account had been used only once and then switched off.Investigators then analysed activation/ deactivation patterns and subscriber details which took them to Kashmir. Officers said they looked visibly different in appearance and had to battle challenges of language and terrain. They decided to focus more on technical analysis than local input and verified at Anantnag and Pulwama before narrowing down a suspect’s location to Batmaloo, Srinagar.The police team picked up Abdul Khalid Ganai, 43, from Batmaloo. A receiver of the scammed funds, Ganai was operating a mule account in the name of a firm, ‘Ice Point’. He led the investigators to Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, 28. Mir was a facilitator whose task was to get mule accounts opened and ensure the scammed funds were transferred further to the mastermind.Ganai and Mir were arrested on Sept 4 and brought to Mumbai where they were produced before a local court. Police are looking for the mastermind.
