Pune: Loan Lure Turns 60–70 Women’s Accounts Into ‘Mule’ Accounts, Two Held

Pimpri Chinchwad, 11st September 2026: Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police have busted a network that allegedly lured citizens, particularly women, with promises of arranging loans and then used their bank accounts as ‘mule accounts’ to route money obtained through cyber frauds.

Police have so far identified 60 to 70 bank accounts, most belonging to women from the city, that were allegedly obtained and used for transactions involving crores of rupees. Two men from Goa and Kolkata have been arrested in connection with the case.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mohan Achrekar (34), a resident of Goa, and Anmol Sharma (32), from Kolkata, West Bengal. Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohidas Pawar provided details of the investigation.

The probe began after a private company manager was allegedly cheated of Rs 8.88 lakh after being promised 500 per cent returns on investments in foreign share markets, stocks and IPOs. A complaint was subsequently lodged with the Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police.

During the investigation, police found that Rs 30 lakh had been transferred on March 21 from the complainant’s account to a Central Bank of India account belonging to Shivshakti Enterprises. Further investigation revealed that Abhishek Acharekar and Pratisha Naik were partners in the firm.

Police traced Acharekar, who was frequently changing his place of residence. Technical analysis showed that he had arrived in Pune on August 28. A team led by Sub-Inspector Prakash Katkade arrested him at Khed-Shivapur.

During interrogation, Acharekar allegedly provided information about Sharma, who was traced to Kolkata and arrested with the assistance of the local police.

According to police, Acharekar and his associates targeted ordinary citizens, particularly women, by offering to help them secure loans. After gaining access to their bank accounts, the accused allegedly used them to receive and transfer proceeds from cyber frauds.

Police suspect that 60 to 70 such accounts were procured and used in the network, with transactions worth crores of rupees being routed through them. The police are now conducting a detailed financial and technical investigation to trace the flow of funds and identify other people involved in the network.