The Cyber Centre of Excellence of Gujarat Police has arrested six men in Vadodara for allegedly running a network that facilitated cyber fraud by arranging bank accounts and withdrawing illicit funds. Officials said the accounts linked to the racket were used in fraudulent transactions amounting to nearly Rs 210 crore, while the national cybercrime helpline 1930 has so far received 273 complaints connected to them.
Investigators said the accused opened bank accounts in the names of money mules and procured complete banking kits, including debit cards and cheque books. They also arranged SIM cards, linked them to these accounts, and used them to conduct transactions and withdraw money generated through a range of online frauds.
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Police Trace Network Through Seized Devices
The investigation gathered momentum after police seized 11 mobile phones during the operation. Analysis of these devices revealed details of around 50 bank accounts believed to have been used in the fraud.
Police identified Deepesh Rajpurohit, also known as Montu, as the alleged mastermind of the operation. According to officials, he coordinated the wider network involved in opening and operating the accounts and personally managed about 40 suspicious accounts.
Multiple Roles Alleged Within the Racket
The other accused have been identified as Adul Kabir Mohammed Ilyas Pathan, Vivek Vanzara, Mayank Bairwa, Rohit Verma and Mohit Raval. Investigators believe they played different roles in arranging bank accounts, recruiting money mules, handling cash withdrawals and managing day-to-day operations.
Officials said the structure of the network pointed to an organised system designed to support cybercrime by ensuring access to bank accounts, linked SIM cards and withdrawal channels. The case has also highlighted the role of mule accounts in helping fraudsters move and extract money obtained through illegal online activity.
Accounts Linked to Several Cyber Fraud Categories
Authorities said the accounts were used across multiple categories of cybercrime, including digital arrest scams, investment fraud, loan-related fraud, UPI-linked scams, deposit fraud, part-time job scams and online gaming fraud.
The scale of the transactions and the number of complaints linked to the accounts have placed the case under close scrutiny. Investigators are continuing to examine the financial trail and the operational methods used by the accused as they piece together the full extent of the network.
