Palanpur: In a major breakthrough, the Patan Cybercrime police exposed a massive cyberfraud racket involving illegal mule bank accounts and suspicious financial transactions worth Rs 398.43 crore. On Monday, 20 individuals were arrested in connection with the case.
How the Fraud Was Uncovered
Acting on intelligence and data analysis from the Centre's Samanvaya and NCCRP portals, the police identified multiple suspicious current accounts opened at Harij Nagarik Sahakari Bank Ltd in Harij town, Patan. These accounts were linked to 228 cyberfraud complaints registered across various states in India, along with large-scale suspicious financial transactions.
Arrests and Modus Operandi
The 20 arrested individuals include 13 account holders and seven middlemen. Investigations revealed that the accused lured citizens by offering cash rewards and monthly commissions for opening bank accounts in their names. Once the accounts were opened, fraudsters collected banking kits, including ATM cards, chequebooks, blank signed cheques, mobile numbers, and internet banking credentials.
Police stated, “These accounts were then used for laundering proceeds of cybercrimes such as OTP frauds, APK/link-based scams, digital arrest frauds, sextortion, social media-based financial cheating, and illegal online betting transactions.”
Financial Impact and Further Investigation
Police found that 13 mule bank accounts were actively used, and transactions worth Rs 398.43 crore were routed through them. Authorities are also investigating whether any bank employee assisted in opening these accounts.
