In a first, Pune cops invoke MCOCA against nine persons in loan app fraud case

The stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) has been invoked against nine persons arrested earlier in a loan app fraud case, a police official said on Friday.

The loan app fraud was busted after a call centre was raided in Karnataka capital Bengaluru, leading to the arrests of 18 persons and seizure of data related to personal details of more than one lakh people.

''One of the arrested accused Dhiraj Punekar and eight of his associates were found to be involved in extortion and cheating through such loan apps, criminal intimidation, misappropriation and other illegal activities for the past 10 years,'' he said.

''After a detailed study, we were given permission by higher authorities to slap MCOCA provisions against these nine persons,'' the official added.

Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta said MCOCA has been invoked in a cyber case (loan app fraud) for the first time as extortion was one of the main aspects.

''We are sure this demonstrative action will send a message to cyber criminals that they cannot get away by committing such crimes. In the last two years, Pune police has invoked MCOCA against 670 criminals in 100 cases,'' Gupta said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)