Cyber Crime
Surat Police Bust Massive Rs 111 Crore Cyber Fraud Syndicate, 25 Arrested
SURAT: In a major blow to organized cybercrime, Surat police have disrupted a large fraud syndicate, arresting 25 suspects over the past three months. Among those apprehended on November 11 were Ajay Italiya, Vishal Tummar, and Jalpesh Nadiyadara, all detained in Surat, while Hiren Barwaliya was captured at Mumbai airport enroute to Dubai.
Several suspects, including Milan Vaghela, Jagdish Ajudiya, Ketan Vekariya, and Dashrath Dhandhaliya, remain at large, according to the authorities.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Bhavesh Rojiya revealed that financial transactions totaling Rs 111 crore were traced to 623 bank accounts linked to the gang, marking one of the largest cybercrime busts in India. Of these accounts, 370 were actively used to collect money from victims of various online scams.
The three-month-long investigation by Ahmedabad’s cybercrime cell involved tracking these transactions across multiple accounts, revealing that significant amounts were initially transferred to “mule accounts.”
Operated through “rooted devices” set up with Taiwanese technology, these accounts bypassed built-in security mechanisms and rerouted OTPs and calls to devices operated remotely, possibly from locations in Taiwan or Dubai.
Mule accounts, often opened using identities obtained from unwitting daily wage earners, are critical to such fraud operations. Individuals are reportedly coerced or compensated to provide identification documents, enabling scam operators to register accounts in their names.
Debit cards for these accounts are often dispatched overseas, allowing cash withdrawals in Dubai and other locations. Funds are further laundered by conversion to cryptocurrency or transferred through hawala channels, police officials noted.
During recent raids in Surat’s Mota Varachha and Sarthana areas, authorities confiscated extensive evidence, including laptops, computers, 198 bank passbooks, 139 debit cards, 336 SIM cards, 35 cheque books, 16 bank kits, and 36 mobile phones.
This operation follows numerous prior investigations into cyber fraud, with these suspects already linked to at least 200 FIRs across 15 states and Union territories. The case continues to unfold as authorities work to trace and apprehend the remaining suspects.