Pune autorickshaw driver held within 12 hours for fake payment app fraud at ATMs

Pune, October 31, 2026: Koregaon Park police have arrested a 25-year-old autorickshaw driver, accused of cheating people who came to deposit cash at bank ATMs by using a fake payment app. Police caught him within 12 hours of the case being registered.

The accused has been identified as Rohit Subhash Chavan, a resident of Phursungi. He is alleged to have targeted people coming to cash deposit machines. He would offer to take their cash and transfer the money digitally. He would then show a fake payment app to convince them that the money had been sent, and cheat them in this way.

According to police, an FIR numbered 177/2026 had been registered at Koregaon Park police station under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The team investigating the case received a tip, which led to the arrest.

Acting on the tip, a police team traced Chavan to Raj Mobile Shop near Shivaji Chowk in Kamshet. He is alleged to have tried to flee when police arrived, but the team caught him.

During questioning, Chavan allegedly admitted his role in the crime. Police said further investigation revealed that he had committed two more similar offences with the help of his associate, Karan Prakash Chavan.

Police have thus solved two cases registered at the Koregaon Park and Kharadi police stations. They have seized property worth Rs 60,000, including a mobile phone and an autorickshaw. The search for the absconding associate continues.

The action was taken under the guidance of senior police officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajlakshmi Shivarkar and Koregaon Park Senior Inspector Vijaykumar Doke. Police Sub-Inspector Narendra Shinde is conducting further investigation.