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Maharashtra Cyber Cracks Down on Instagram Fake-Notes Network, Files 4 FIRs and Makes 2 Arrests

Police call the scheme a security risk tied to organised crime.

Overview

  • Maharashtra Cyber, which announced the action Tuesday, registered four FIRs and arrested Rahul Anil Pawar and Yogita Hitesh Bhosale.
  • Investigators ordered Instagram takedowns under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and sought account data under Section 94 of the BNSS/BNS.
  • Police say reels pitched cheap counterfeit notes with WhatsApp numbers for delivery, with posts trending in Dhule, Jalgaon, and Buldhana.
  • The probe now includes round-the-clock monitoring of Instagram and Telegram to spot more accounts, with officers signaling further action.
  • Earlier research by CloudSEK flagged thousands of posts and accounts in late 2024 to mid‑2025, a scale that officials say raises national‑security concerns.