Daijiworld Media Network – Pune
Pune, Jul 13: In a major breakthrough, the Pimpri-Chinchwad cyber cell has arrested a 29-year-old man from Vashi for allegedly running a web of fraudulent loan apps in collaboration with individuals based in China and Singapore.
The accused, Isaki Rajan Thevar, a native of Tamil Nadu and resident of Vashi, was nabbed on Thursday following a complaint by a bank employee from Mahalunge. She alleged she was duped by a scam app called Credit Pilot between June 11 and June 22 this year.
According to police, the victim received a WhatsApp link for the loan app, which upon installation, accessed her phone without consent and used her personal documents to disburse a fraudulent loan. Though she borrowed only Rs 5,000, she was coerced into paying Rs 9,000 and later harassed for an additional Rs 15,000.
When she refused to comply, the accused allegedly sent doctored obscene photos to her family and friends, prompting her to approach the police.
A technical investigation and IP address tracing led the cyber team to Vashi, where Thevar was arrested. Police seized five laptops, seven SIM cards, two debit cards, and a mobile phone from his possession.
API Pravin Swami of the cyber cell said their analysis revealed multiple shady loan apps linked to the accused, including Creditkeeper, Inlonecredit, Newlone, Ligallone, Fastcash, Handycash, and Instalone. These apps are believed to have defrauded thousands of users across India.
Police said over 10,000 complaints have been filed nationwide against these apps. Initial findings suggest that Thevar was providing backend technical support, financial infrastructure, and digital tools to a larger cybercrime network operating in coordination with Chinese and Singaporean nationals.
Further investigation is underway to uncover the full scale of the racket and its international connections.