Mumbai: The city crime branch on Tuesday arrested two persons who duped a Malad-based businesswoman to the tune of Rs 25.47 crore under the pretext of getting her a loan of $100 million from the American Federal Reserve Board.The property cell of the crime branch have arrested Girish Kapasi (55) and Tanaji Maruti Shendge (40) and are on the lookout for at least five accomplices, including a woman, in what is easily one of the biggest-ever fraud cases in the city. The accused have been booked under IPC sections for cheating, forgery, breach of trust, threatening and provisions of the Information Technology Act.The city has in recent years witnessed several cheating cases involving Nigerian nationals, but the police said this is a rare case involving Indians conning a businessperson on the pretext of helping securing a loan. The complainant's name has been withheld on request., said she had come across the accused while her husband was returning from Bahrain in 2011. The victim told TOI that she had fallen prey to a major racket in which several influential people are involved. "I don't want to discuss much at this juncture as it will hamper the investigations," she said.The woman and her husband wanted huge financial help to start a business. "Tanaji Shendge and five others hatched a conspiracy and showed the couple a rosy picture of how they could got $100 million from the American Federal Reserve Board,'' said a policeman close to the investigations. Thereafter, the accused took huge amounts from the complainant on the pretext of doing paperwork.During the course of investigations, it transpired that while Zaveri and Rane extracted Rs 18 crore, one Kamble took Rs 2.5 crore and Shendge and Subbaro got Rs 2.89 crore, including gold jewellery and diamond-studded gold ornaments and Rs 60 lakh in cash. After learning that they had been duped, when she started calling the accused to return their money, they threatened her with dire consequences.The woman filed a complaint with the Malad police station in January, but, given the intricacies and sums involved, it was transferred to the city crime branch.