Cyber Fraud Scheme Targets Maharashtra Politician, Police Recover ₹3.15 Lakh

Mumbai, October 30 (Daily Kiran) : In a significant breakthrough, Mumbai’s Gavdevi police have recovered ₹3.15 lakh in a cyber fraud case involving Shaina NC, the national secretary and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena party. The incident, which resulted in a loss of ₹4.90 lakh, occurred after Shaina’s mobile phone was hacked on July 16.

Cybercriminals accessed her contact list and sent messages to her acquaintances, posing as Shaina. They claimed to be in an emergency and requested ₹49,000, promising to return the amount within two hours. Nine victims fell for the scam, transferring a total of ₹4.90 lakh to the fraudsters’ accounts within hours.

Upon discovering the hack, Shaina promptly filed a complaint at the Gavdevi police station. However, she did not stop there. For over three months, she maintained constant communication with Senior Police Inspector Prashant Mohite, Inspector Praveen Kumar Salunkhe, and Sub-Inspector Virendra Singh Khandade, urging them to recover the stolen funds.

The investigation team, led by Sub-Inspector Khandade, first traveled to Bhandara district in Maharashtra, where they successfully seized ₹1.68 lakh in cash. Following this, they conducted operations in Bihar, recovering an additional ₹98,000.

One victim, Pankaj Jain, acted quickly by notifying his bank, which managed to freeze his ₹49,000 before it could be withdrawn, allowing him to recover his funds. In total, ₹3.15 lakh has been returned to the victims, while the remaining ₹67,000 has already been withdrawn by the accused. Efforts are ongoing to recover this amount.

Shaina NC has urged citizens to verify any requests for money sent via messages. She advised against clicking on unknown links and encouraged immediate reporting of fraud incidents to the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930, as prompt action increases the chances of freezing the funds.