Powai Resident Recovers Rs 6.6 Lakh Stolen in Piped Gas Bill Fraud
A 56-year-old construction supplier from Powai has recovered the entire Rs 6.6 lakh he lost in an online Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) piped gas bill fraud. The recovery came after a court directed the accused mule account holder, S K Shetty of Mangaluru, to return the stolen funds into the victim's account before the court would consider his anticipatory bail plea.
The financial loss had previously forced the Powai resident to postpone his daughter's wedding, which was originally scheduled for July 5. After the groom's family agreed, the wedding was rescheduled to August 20. The victim received the full amount back in his bank account on a recent Wednesday.
The fraud occurred between May 12 and May 16, after the victim received messages from two mobile numbers warning that his gas connection would be disconnected due to a billing issue. He was prompted to download an APK file and pay Rs 12 to update the billing system. Instead, three unauthorized transactions of Rs 1.6 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 2,299 were made from his bank account, totaling over Rs 6.6 lakh.
The victim registered a case with the Powai police on June 2 after initially calling the cyber crime helpline 1930. Under the supervision of DCP Datta Nalawade, a Powai police team consisting of Senior Inspector A S Sawant, Inspector Pravin Pawar, Sub-Inspector Prashant Kendre, and Police Constable Pranali Shigam tracked the money trail.
The investigation revealed that the money had been credited to a bank account belonging to Shetty, who runs a catering business in Mangaluru. Shetty had withdrawn the money via cheque on the same day in May. The Powai police coordinated with Mangaluru city police Sub-Inspector Pratibha K H to serve a notice to Shetty through the government's online portal 'Samanvay'.
Shetty initially denied receiving the money, claiming it came from a client. He then approached the Dindoshi Court for anticipatory bail, which was rejected on June 30. To secure his legal standing, Shetty was directed by the court to deposit the defrauded amount into the victim's account. With the assistance of the victim's lawyer, Atul Pathak, an affidavit was filed, and the money was successfully credited back to the complainant.
