Uttar Pradesh Police, under its statewide “Cy-Vajra” cybercrime crackdown, has dismantled an interstate cyber fraud network and arrested five alleged members, including Vijay Soni, a former city minister of the BJP OBC Morcha. Investigators say the syndicate used more than 20 fake and mule bank accounts to move proceeds generated through cyber-enabled financial crimes, with suspicious transactions uncovered so far exceeding ₹21 crore and roughly ₹3.20 crore already frozen.
Jobs That Were Never Jobs
The other four accused have been identified as Deepak Goyal, Devnarayan Mishra, Gangotri Pandey and Shahban Alam alias Sonu, all produced before a court as legal proceedings continue. Investigators say the group’s method centred on offering unemployed and financially vulnerable individuals jobs at a solar company, then using that pretext to obtain GST registrations and register fake business entities in the victims’ names.
Rather than opening salary accounts, the accused allegedly opened current accounts in victims’ names, while retaining control of the cheque books, debit cards and internet banking credentials themselves. Those accounts were then used to receive and move proceeds from investment fraud, digital arrest scams, sextortion and other online financial offences, with the network’s reach confirmed by 43 linked complaints found on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal spanning multiple states.
During searches, police seized six mobile phones, 15 Aadhaar cards, ten SIM cards, eight official stamps, two two-wheelers and documents tied to several shell companies. The seized devices and paperwork are now undergoing forensic examination to trace additional beneficiaries and financial trails. The case originated after two victims lodged complaints, leading to registration at the Dehat Police Station, before deeper analysis of bank accounts and transactions exposed the wider network.
Part of a Larger Statewide Push
The Gonda bust is an early result of Operation Cy-Vajra, a seven-day statewide campaign launched by Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna on July 6 to intensify action against cyber criminals and speed up financial relief for victims. In reviewing the state’s performance since April 2025, the DGP reported that Uttar Pradesh Police has blocked 2.94 lakh suspicious mobile numbers and placed roughly ₹530 crore in cyber fraud cases under lien, preventing fraudsters from accessing the funds. Similar coordinated raids under the same operation detained 40 suspects in Sitapur just days before the Gonda arrests, indicating the campaign is generating simultaneous action across multiple districts rather than isolated single-city operations.
Prof. Triveni Singh, the former IPS officer and cybercrime specialist, said the misuse of mule bank accounts has become one of the biggest challenges in cybercrime investigations, with criminals frequently luring unemployed or financially distressed individuals into opening accounts that are later used to move fraud proceeds through multiple layers, making the money trail difficult to trace. He cautioned that allowing anyone else to use one’s bank account, KYC documents or digital banking credentials can expose a person to serious legal consequences, regardless of whether they knowingly participated in the fraud.
Police have urged the public not to hand over bank accounts, ATM cards, cheque books, SIM cards or KYC documents to anyone in exchange for jobs, commissions or investment opportunities, and have asked citizens to report suspected fraud immediately through the National Cyber Helpline at 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, since prompt reporting significantly improves the odds of freezing and recovering stolen funds.
