The Pimpri Chinchwad police along with accused Ganesh Balasaheb Kale who is linked to an international cybercrime syndicate. (Express/Sourced)The Pimpri Chinchwad police on Thursday arrested a man linked to an international cybercrime syndicate, after he was apprehended in Bangkok through a Red Corner Notice and Lookout Circular (LOC) and brought to India.The accused Saurabh alias Ganesh Balasaheb Kale, 31, a native of Sangli district of Maharashtra, was part of a cybercrime racket operating from Dubai and Bangkok (Thailand) that swindled crores of rupees from several people across India.“Kale allegedly maintained direct contact with cyber racketeers based in China and other countries. He assisted the cyber criminals involved in task frauds, share market investment frauds, and digital arrest scams, thereby earning substantial illegal profits,” stated a press release issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Rohidas Pawar on Friday.Kale had started an office in Dubai for handling the cyber fraud transactions, Pawar said.June 2024: Online task fraud caseKale’s name cropped up during the investigation of an online task fraud case lodged at the Dehu Road police station in Pimpri Chinchwad in June 2024.The complainant was an engineer who was coerced into investing money in an “online part-time job”, assuring huge profits by completing some online tasks, and lost Rs 33,000. The police arrested 13 people in the case. One of the arrested, Deepak Gade, during interrogation, had said that he had sold details of various “mule accounts” in India to suspect Kale in Dubai.A technical investigation by assistant police inspector Pravin Swami revealed that Kale also procured bank accounts from various individuals in India and used them to receive proceeds of cyber fraud.Story continues below this adThe police said Kale was initially doing some marketing work in India. He shifted to Dubai in 2023 for forex trading, when he was suspected of having joined the international cyber crime racketeers from China, the police said.In 9 months, 2 elderly men dupedKale’s name also came up in the investigation of a case filed at the Hinjewadi police station on June 20, 2024, in which a 67-year-old man was duped of Rs 18 lakhs in an online trading scam.Kale was found involved in another major case lodged at the Cyber police station on March 24, 2025, in which a senior citizen residing in Sangvi was duped of Rs 2.52 crore, after being lured to invest in an online share trading business.Kale flees to Thailand in 2025Based on evidence collected, a proposal for provisional arrest and extradition was forwarded through the Maharashtra Government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Legal proceedings were initiated through Indian authorities in the UAE in 2024. But, in September 2025, it was known that Kale had left Dubai and fled to Thailand.Story continues below this adThe Pimpri Chinchwad police then communicated with the Maharashtra Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which resulted in the issuance of a Red Corner Notice and LOC against Kale.Then, while he was attempting to flee from Thailand to another country, Kale was detained by the authorities at Bangkok Airport. He was subsequently brought to India.On Thursday, the Cyber Police team took his formal custody at Mumbai Airport and arrested him in the Dehu Road Police Station case. A court remanded him to police custody till June 16 for further investigation.A team comprising inspector Ravikiran Nale, assistant inspector Swami, sub-inspector Sagar Poman, constables Deepak Bhosale, Hemant Kharat, Nitesh Bichevar, and Atul Lokhande is probing the case further.Story continues below this adKale was found involved in four more cases, including one each at Nodal Cyber Police Station and Malvani police station in Mumbai, and two at Cyberabad Police Station in Telangana.