Two held for stealing laptops worth Rs 23.4 lakh from godown in Bhiwandi

Two people were arrested from Karnataka in connection with laptop thefts in Maharashtra`s Thane district, police said on Saturday.

According to news agency PTI, the police apprehended the accused — Dileep Basavraj Chavan, 20, and Arjun Munne Rathod, 23 — from Yadgir for allegedly stealing laptops worth Rs 23.4 lakh from the godown in the Narpoli area of Bhiwandi on March 7, an officer said.

Miscreants broke into the godown and allegedly decamped with 26 laptops worth Rs 23.4 lakh, Senior Inspector Janardhan Sonawane said.

A first information report (FIR) was registered under sections 303(2) (theft), 331(3) (house trespass) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, he added.

According to PTI, the police examined the CCTV footage and the technical and intelligence inputs and zeroed in on the accused.

The police have recovered the stolen laptops and a motorcycle used in the crime, said Sonawane, adding that a probe is underway to nab the others involved in the theft. 

Thane: Cyber cops recover Rs 90 lakh after phishers target travel agency’s accountant

Maharashtra Cyber successfully recovered Rs 90 lakh lost in a whale phishing attack where a Bhiwandi-based travel agency was targeted. The agency’s accountant fell victim to cybercriminals who impersonated the firm’s owner via WhatsApp, pressuring him into transferring the amount in a single transaction.

Upon realising the fraud, the company promptly reported the case on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. “Maharashtra Cyber immediately took action, coordinating with banks and financial intermediaries to freeze the transaction, preventing the funds from reaching the cybercriminals. The process of refunding the amount to the victim is currently underway,” Maharashtra Cyber said in a statement.

This intervention is part of broader efforts under the Maharashtra Cyber Security Project, which operates from its state-of-the-art Cyber Headquarters in Mahape, Navi Mumbai. A key feature of the project is its 24×7 Command and Control Centre, staffed by over 100 cyber analysts, and two dedicated cyber helplines (Dial 1930 and Dial 1945) to assist citizens in real-time.

In the past 48 hours alone, Maharashtra Cyber has resolved five cyber fraud complaints, successfully freezing a total of Rs 1.475 crore. “The department continues to urge citizens to remain vigilant while conducting online transactions and to report cyber fraud immediately via Dial 1945 or 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal,” the statement read.

What is whale phishing?

Also known as a whaling attack, or whaling, this is a type of phishing attack that targets high-level corporate officers with fraudulent emails, text messages or phone calls, according to IBM.com

(With PTI inputs)