Pune: A final-year homeopathy student, who was arrested in a cybercrime case in 2024, allegedly formed a network of criminals while lodged in Yerawada Central Prison and, after his release seven months ago, resumed supplying mule bank accounts to cybercrooks.The Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police arrested the accused and his accomplice in connection with a cyber fraud in which a 60-year-old retired deputy general manager of an automotive company lost Rs86 lakh.During the investigation, police found that the accused, Avinash Baklikar (28), and his accomplices were operating eight bank accounts and using them as mule accounts to facilitate cybercrimes. Police also arrested another accused, Tajas Lokhande (24), from Markal village near Alandi. Lokhande, who was arrested in an abduction and extortion case registered with the Hinjewadi police, came into contact with Baklikar while lodged in Yerawada prison.A Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police team led by inspector Digambar Gaikwad made the arrests.Between June and July this year, the complainant, a resident of Pimpri, lost Rs86 lakh to cybercrooks in an online share trading fraud. During the investigation, police found that Rs5 lakh had been transferred to a bank account operated by Lokhande. “We found that Lokhande was lodged in Yerawada prison in connection with the abduction and extortion case,” an officer from the Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police said.Assistant police inspector Pravin Swami of the Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police said API Vaibhav Patil and his team traced Lokhande and arrested him. During his custodial interrogation, Lokhande revealed Baklikar’s name. “Baklikar was lodged in Yerawada prison after being arrested in Nov 2024 in connection with an online share trading fraud of Rs60 lakh. While in prison, he hatched a plan to obtain mule bank accounts for cybercrooks and earn money,” Swami said.The officer said that as part of their plan Lokhande opened a bank account after his release and handed it over to Baklikar, who was also released from prison about seven months ago. “Baklikar had formed a network of criminals, mainly those arrested in bodily offence cases. He had saved their cellphone numbers under the name of a ‘university’ in his cellphone,” the officer said.Swami said that after his release, Baklikar contacted the members of his network and opened eight bank accounts. He provided the account details to his handlers in other countries. “We also found that Baklikar and others had started an office at Markal under different names and were preparing to open current accounts and hand them over to cybercrooks,” Swami said.The officer said Baklikar is from Latur. He was pursuing a homeopathy degree and was a final-year student when he was arrested in 2024. “He spent 16 months in prison and again started committing crimes after his release,” the officer said.
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