Serum Institute Whatsapp duping case: Seven held from various states, main accused on the run

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Seven people have been arrested for allegedly using the image of Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla and getting a director of the leading vaccine-producing firm to transfer Rs 1.01 crore to various bank accounts, Pune police said on Friday.

As per the First Information Report registered with Bundgarden police station in the second week of September, the accused had used Poonawalla's image in a Whatsapp account and sent messages about money transfer to Satish Deshpande, one of the directors of the firm, an official said.

Believing the messages were from Poonawalla, the director transferred Rs 1.01 crore of the firm's funds to eight bank accounts mentioned in the Whatsapp conversation, he said.

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"The eight bank accounts belonged to eight persons. Seven of these persons have been arrested from different states, while hunt is on for the main accused. We have seized 40 accounts into which money from these eight accounts was transferred," said Zone II Deputy Commissioner of Police Smarthna Patil.

"We have managed to confiscate Rs 13 lakh in these accounts. The accused are B.Tech and B.Sc graduates hailing from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. One of them works in a commercial bank," the DCP added.

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