Bollywood aspirant model-turned cyber mule handler with Cambodia links among 5 held in Pimpri Chinchwad; links to over 100 cases: Cops

“Probe revealed that Sam David was using at least 20 different phone numbers, had his primary base in Goa and was moving across India. We received a concrete tip off that he was coming to Hinjewadi on January 23. He was nabbed from Hinjewadi and it came to light that his real name is Sambidhkumar Shripati Nayak, 22, a resident of Rourkela in Odisha, a Bollywood aspirant. Probe has revealed that recently he had booked at least seven hotel rooms at various places in Pune where he was keeping the mule account holders for some duration,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) with Pimpri Chinchwad police, Sandeep Doiphode.

“Investigation revealed Nayak alias Sam David moved to Maharashtra with aspirations to become a star in Bollywood. He initially did some small time modelling gigs and was pursuing a Bachelors in Computer Applications from a College in Mumbai. In the party circles of Pune and Mumbai he came in contact with some people with links to international cyber criminals. He soon rose in ranks and was currently operating a vast network of mule account holders across India and reported to masterminds in Cambodia,” said an officer who is part of the probe.

Two teams of cyber investigators checked the hotel rooms booked by Sam David. It was revealed that the kits of these mule accounts — comprising account details, debit card, SIM card linked to the account among other things — were moved using an online delivery application to avoid getting caught. From a flat in Bavdhan, the investigation teams arrested one Raj Ansh Singh (21), a student from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand who had been receiving these mule account kits and would send the details to masterminds in Cambodia. He was the third person to be arrested in the case. The investigation and questioning of these suspects led police to arrest three more persons identified as Himanshu Kumar Thakur (24) of Hazaribagh, Gaurav Sharma (40), a tiffin service operator from Valsad in Gujarat and Ankush More (31), a businessman from Nashik.

Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner Vinoykumar Choubey, who supervised the probe, said, “The arrest of the main handler of the international syndicate Sam David and his five accomplices has led our cyber investigators to expose and bust a vast network of mule accounts. Till now over 100 cyber frauds cases from across India have been linked to the mule accounts from the network.”

The probe was led by DCP, crime, Sandeep Doiphone and ACP Vishal Hire and the investigation team comprised Inspector Ravikiran Nale, Assistant Inspector Praveen Swami and Sub inspectors Sagar Poman, Vaibhav Patil, Prakash Katkade and the constabulary staff.