Bhojpuri actor held for Rs 3.5 lakh credit card fraud in Dahisar

Accused (in maroon T-shirt) arrested from Kaushambi in UP

The Dahisar Cyber Police have arrested YouTuber and Bhojpuri actor Dilip Kumar Sahu, 41, from Uttar Pradesh (UP) for allegedly cheating a Mumbai-based man of over '3.5 lakh under the pretext of providing cash in exchange for credit card swipes with minimal commission. Police said that Sahu was arrested from UP's Kaushambi and brought to Mumbai on transit remand on June 28. Investigations have revealed that Sahu has committed similar frauds in Kandivli, Goregaon, and other parts of the city. There are also complaints against him in Kaushambi.

The fraud came to light after the victim, a resident of Borivli East and employed as a driver with BEST, lodged a complaint. According to the 44-year-old complainant, he was duped of '3.5 lakh in May of this year. According to the complainant, while commuting to work at the Poisar Depot in Kandivli West, he noticed a poster that read - Credit Card Se Cash Lijiye - along with a mobile number, which he saved.

On May 13, he contacted the number and spoke to a man who identified himself as Dilip Kumar Sahu. According to the victim, Sahu told him that he gives cash at only 2.5 per cent commission. Trusting the offer, he shared his bank credit card details, including the CVV and OTP, over WhatsApp and was credited '19,500 via Google Pay, after a deduction of '500 from the'20,000 swiped.

On May 16, encouraged by the initial transaction, the victim reached out again, requesting a larger amount - '3.5 lakh - and shared details of his two bank credit cards, along with OTPs received for transactions, following which a total of '3,50,020 was debited in multiple transactions, but this time he did not receive any money, with Sahu promising that the amount would be deposited into the victim's bank's savings account, which never happened, said an officer from Dahisar police station.

Realising he had been duped, the victim lodged a complaint on the national cybercrime portal and later approached the Dahisar Cyber Cell. Under the guidance of senior officials in Zone 12, the cyber cell team, including API Ankush Dandge and police constable Shrikant Deshpande, Following a detailed probe, traced the accused to Kaushambi and arrested him.

"Sahu was operating under the guise of providing financial services using credit cards. He used social engineering to gain the victim's trust before syphoning off funds. There may be more victims," said a police officer from Dahisar Cyber Cell. Following his arrest, Sahu was brought back to Mumbai and was produced before the metropolitan magistrate court on June 28, where the court remanded him to police custody till July 1. Further investigations are underway to identify other accomplices, if any, and to track the flow of the defrauded money, said another officer.