Thane | A case has been against an unidentified person for allegedly creating a fake email ID in the name of the Navi Mumbai police's cyber cell and instructing banks to freeze targetted accounts, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The fraudulent activity came to light when a bank recently approached the cyber cell to verify the authenticity of an email it had received, he said.

On verification, it was found that the email was not sent by the cyber cell, the official said, adding that investigations revealed that multiple banks were sent such emails.

"The accused had carefully made a fake email address resembling the official communication channel of the cyber cell and used it to mislead multiple banks, asking them to freeze certain customer accounts under false pretences," he said.

The official said a first information report was registered under sections 318(1) (cheating), 336 (forgery) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

He said a probe is currently underway to trace the accused.