Nagpur: Ajit Parse, a self-styled social media analyst and cyber expert who allegedly orchestrated multi-crore frauds by projecting proximity to powerful offices and influential personalities, died late Wednesday night (February 4) following prolonged illness. Reports said Parse was suffering from liver and pancreas-related ailments. His death comes years after he figured prominently in several high-profile cheating, extortion, and honey-trapping cases that rocked the city.
Parse had carefully cultivated an image of influence by flaunting photographs with political leaders and selectively publicising media coverage to establish credibility. Police investigations had earlier revealed that this manufactured persona was allegedly used to lure victims into a web of deception, resulting in financial losses running into crores of rupees.
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The first formal complaint against Parse was lodged by Mahal-based homeopathy doctor Dr Rajesh Murkute at Kotwali Police Station, a move that exposed the scale of the alleged fraud. Following the complaint, multiple cases surfaced against Parse, leading to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment at the Central Jail. He had reportedly secured bail only a few days ago.
It is pertinent to recall that in 2022, Parse was booked for allegedly duping Dr Murkute of Rs 4.50 crore on the pretext of facilitating the opening of a medical college. Parse, then aged 42 and a resident of Maharshi Manal Apartment in Bhende Layout, was booked under various sections, including cheating and extortion.
According to police, Parse began influencing prominent personalities in Nagpur around five years ago through social media, presenting himself as a well-connected cyber and policy expert. During the investigation, police claimed that he had allegedly honey-trapped at least eight to ten eminent individuals, including doctors and bureaucrats, and extorted nearly Rs 20 crore from them.
Police said the doctor was introduced to Parse through a relative in 2019. Parse allegedly claimed that he had strong connections within the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and could help secure approval for a medical college through NITI Aayog. To reinforce the deception, Parse allegedly created a fake email ID in the name of the PMO and sent emails assuring the release of funds.
Investigators further revealed that Parse collected Rs 25 lakh as an advance from the doctor. When the promised funds failed to materialise, Parse allegedly escalated the intimidation. Learning that the doctor was a guarantor for a bank loan, Parse allegedly sent forged documents, including a fake CBI warrant via WhatsApp, claiming that an arrest warrant had been issued. Under fear and coercion, the doctor was allegedly forced to pay around Rs 1.50 crore initially, which eventually rose to Rs 4.50 crore due to repeated threats and extortion, police said.
Following the complaint to then Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, the probe was handed over to the Crime Branch. During raids at Parse’s residence, police seized four laptops, forged letterheads bearing names of senior ministers, fake official documents, cheques, and even police station stamps, materials that investigators said pointed to a well-planned and organised fraud operation.
Apart from his controversial life, Parse was also known as a talented basketball player in his younger days, a contrast that several investigators noted while describing his dramatic fall from sportsperson to alleged serial fraudster.
With his death, several legal proceedings against Parse are expected to abate, though investigators maintain that the cases exposed glaring vulnerabilities in how influence, technology, and forged authority can be misused to exploit unsuspecting victims.
