A fraudster promised officials at a Pune-based university that he would help them secure a project from IIT Bombay, according to a police release on Wednesday.
The alleged online fraud occurred between July 25 and August 26 this year. During this period, the fraudster, posing as a professor from IIT Bombay, deceived the university officials into transferring Rs 2.46 crore into various accounts, the release stated, as reported by PTI.
A cyber crime police team launched an investigation and traced the suspect to Seetaiah Kilaru (34), a resident of Yapral in Hyderabad, Telangana. The police identified him as the mastermind behind the scam, arresting him on September 21.
According to a police official, “He is an electronics and telecommunication engineer from Telangana and holds a PhD from a UK-based university. During the investigation, he revealed that he had cleared the UPSC prelims and mains examinations in 2019-20,” the official added, as reported by PTI.
Following his arrest, Kilaru was produced before a court, which remanded him to police custody until September 28.
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**Interior Decorator in Thane Duped of Rs 97 Lakh in Loan Fraud**
In a separate case, police registered a case against four individuals accused of cheating an interior decorator of Rs 97.75 lakh under the pretext of arranging a business loan through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, officials said on Tuesday, according to PTI.
The accused reportedly lured the 45-year-old victim, who resides in the Badlapur area of Maharashtra’s Thane district, by promising him a business loan of Rs 2.75 crore from CSR funds. To gain his trust, they demanded the payment of a bank guarantee amount.
Believing their assurances, the victim paid Rs 99.25 lakh. A Badlapur police official confirmed that only Rs 1.5 lakh was later refunded, while the remaining Rs 97.75 lakh was allegedly siphoned off without any loan being sanctioned.
The victim filed a complaint with the police on Monday. After conducting preliminary enquiries, the police registered a case against four suspects under relevant legal provisions and are actively working to trace them, the official stated.
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/maharashtra-pune-university-duped-of-rs-2-46-crore-uk-educated-engineer-held-23595717
