Chennai: Man arrested in Rs 38 lakh cyber fraud targeting school owner

CHENNAI: The Chennai Central Crime Branch cybercrime police have arrested a 45-year-old man in Visakhapatnam in connection with a cyber fraud in which a private school owner in George Town was cheated of Rs 38 lakh. Police have recovered Rs 25.22 lakh and returned the amount to the victim's account following a court order.

According to police, unidentified persons used the school owner's photograph as their WhatsApp profile picture and sent a message to the school's accounts manager, posing as the owner. The message instructed the manager to transfer Rs 38 lakh to a specified bank account.

Believing the message to be genuine, the accounts manager transferred the money from the owner's account to a bank account in Visakhapatnam. The fraud was discovered later, and a complaint was filed through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

The Central Crime Branch registered a case and traced the funds to a newly opened current account in the name of Sri Sai Ganapathi Logistics in Visakhapatnam. The money was subsequently transferred to other bank accounts.

The account was traced to Pentha Gowri Shankar, 45, of Madhurawada in Visakhapatnam. Investigators found that he had allegedly operated the account as a mule account, receiving money obtained through cyber fraud in return for a commission.

Police tracked the transactions through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and obtained a court order to recover the funds. Of the Rs 38 lakh transferred, Rs 25.22 lakh has so far been credited back to the victim's account.

A cybercrime police team camped in Visakhapatnam and arrested Shankar. Mobile phones, SIM cards and a cheque book were seized from him.