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A criminal case has emerged at the Junagadh Range Cyber Police Station against Hiralba Jadeja, the wife of former MLA Bhura Munja Jadeja, along with her associates Naitik Mavani, Sachin Mehta, and Hitesh Odedra. Police Sub-Inspector H.J. Barad registered the case on May 30 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Allegations of Fraud
The complaint alleges that the accused defrauded three individuals—Pratap Bharad, Paras Joshi, and Bharat Sutreja—by forging documents and bills to create fictitious firms using the victims’ GST credentials. They opened current accounts in various banks using false documentation and fraudulently obtained blank cheques and RTGS forms signed by the victims. Reports indicate that these accounts facilitated illegal financial transactions through a network of 22 different bank accounts.
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Discovery of the Fraud Scheme
Authorities uncovered the case following an investigation initiated by a request from the Porbandar Cyber Crime Police Station. The investigation revealed that three companies—Arham Commodity, Vithal Plus Commodity, and Bharat Enterprise—had been fraudulently registered in the names of Pratap Bharad, Paras Joshi, and Bharat Sutreja, respectively.
Hiralba Jadeja first approached Pratap Bharad in July 2023 with a proposal to establish a warehouse business. After obtaining his Aadhaar and PAN card details, associates Sachin Mehta and Naitik Mavani allegedly fabricated documents in Junagadh. They signed a rental agreement in the name of Arham Commodities and opened bank accounts without Bharad’s consent. Additionally, they secured his signatures on blank cheques and RTGS forms at Trident Plaza, using these accounts to conduct significant financial transactions. A similar fraudulent scheme also unfolded with Paras Joshi and Bharat Sutreja.
Ongoing Investigation
Investigating officer Jatin Patel confirmed that the cyber cell has identified 22 bank accounts across more than eight financial institutions. Authorities are currently awaiting detailed bank statements to assess the total amount of money deposited and the timeline of transactions.
To date, authorities have connected 83 cyber fraud complaints to these firms, spanning 18 states, including Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Odisha, Puducherry, and Kerala.
About the Author – Anirudh Mittal is a B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) student at National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, with a keen interest in corporate law and tech-driven legal change. He enjoys breaking down complex legal issues into crisp, insightful reads that connect law with the real world.
