Goa | July 10, 2025
In a significant breakthrough in a cyber fraud case, Colvale Police have successfully arrested a 19-year-old fraudster from Patna, Bihar, who allegedly duped a Thivim resident of ₹4.24 lakh under the pretext of offering a fake franchise of Naturals Ice Cream Pvt. Ltd.
The complaint, lodged on June 10, 2025, revealed that the accused, posing as a sales advisor for the reputed ice cream brand, contacted the victim through various mobile numbers. He convinced the complainant to transfer money towards registration, security, and software fees between May and June 9, 2025, into two bank accounts—Bandhan Bank and Indian Bank.
After receiving the funds, the accused sent fake registration certificates and began demanding more money, ultimately failing to provide any franchise. Realizing he had been deceived, the complainant approached Colvale Police, who promptly registered an FIR under Colvale PS Cr. No. 41/2025 for offenses under Sections 318, 319 of the BNS Act and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
Under the supervision of SP (North) Rahul Gupta, IPS, SDPO Mapusa Wilson Dsouza, and PI Colvale Sanjit Kandolkar, a dedicated team began tracking the accused using bank and mobile surveillance. The investigation led them to Paliganj in Patna, Bihar.
A team comprising PSI Swanand Prabhu and constables Shashank Naik, Vinod Sharma, and Samir Naik arrested the accused, identified as Alok Kumar (19), son of Jay Prakash and a resident of Mathroad, Paliganj. The arrest was made on July 6, 2025, with full adherence to Supreme Court guidelines. Following the arrest, the accused was produced before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Danapur, who granted a 96-hour transit remand.
Alok Kumar was brought to Goa on July 10 and presented before the JMFC Bicholim, who remanded him to five days of police custody.
Bandhan Bank has frozen ₹2 lakh from the accused’s account based on a request from the Cyber Cell. Investigations have further revealed that the accused is involved in at least five similar fraud cases across India, with a cumulative fraud amount of approximately ₹22.2 lakh.
The operation was executed by PSI Swanand Prabhu, HC Gurudas Mandrekar, and PCs Shashank Naik, Vinod Sharma, Uddesh Parab, and Samir Naik—all from Colvale Police Station.
Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant against online frauds and to verify credentials before making financial commitments.
