Rajkot Police Unearths Major Cyberfraud Racket Involving Rs 380 Crore
In a significant breakthrough, the Cyber Crime cell of Rajkot Rural police has dismantled a sophisticated "mule account" racket, arresting six individuals and detecting fraudulent deposits totaling Rs 380 crore. The illicit funds were channeled through their bank accounts over an 18-month period, highlighting the scale of this organized cybercrime operation.
Arrests Made and Mastermind Sought
The police have taken into custody Jay Nadpara, Manish Kamani, Praveensingh Parmar, Mahendrasinh Jadeja, Mayursingh Vaghela, and alleged mediator Rushit Raiyani. Authorities are actively searching for the suspected mastermind, Aadiluddin, along with three absconding accused: Lala alias Yagnik Zalawadia, Harshil Shah, and Bharatsinh Parmar.
Modus Operandi and APMC Cover
According to police investigations, Nadpara, Kamani, and Parmar operated a firm at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market yard in Gondal. They exploited the firm's bank accounts to facilitate cyberfraud transactions. Meanwhile, Jadeja and Vaghela managed an angadia firm, while Raiyani acted as a mediator, assisting in channeling funds to Aadiluddin in Hyderabad.
The racket cleverly used APMC licenses to camouflage large fraudulent deposits. Jay Nadpara, owner of Jyot Trading and Som Enterprise, confessed to operating six current accounts under these licenses. He admitted that the APMC cover was utilized to portray the massive deposits as legitimate agricultural payments, thereby evading income tax scrutiny and enabling high-volume cash withdrawals.
Investigation Trigger and Financial Details
The probe was initiated following 65 cyberfraud complaints filed on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal against the bank account of "Jyot Trading," an APMC-licensed firm based in the Gondal market yard. Preliminary findings reveal that Rs 380 crore was deposited into the current accounts linked to the arrested individuals, including Kamani, Parmar, and Nadpara, over 18 months.
Rajkot Rural superintendent of police Vijaysingh Gurjar stated that suspicious transactions were first flagged in accounts operated under APMC licenses at the Gondal APMC market yard. "The use of APMC licenses as a facade for cyberfraud is a concerning trend," he noted.
Commission Structure and National Reach
Nadpara allegedly joined the racket through his friend Manish Kamani, who provided guidance and offered a commission of Rs 200 for every Rs 1 lakh routed. The accused would withdraw cash and send it to the perpetrators via angadia channels. Inspector Ravi Godham disclosed, "The total commission earned by the three main accused — Kamani, Parmar, and Nadpara — runs into several crores."
Raiyani is believed to have earned Rs 10 lakh over 10 months by convincing individuals to rent out their bank accounts for routing cyberfraud proceeds and coordinating the operation. The racket has extensive tentacles across India, with around 130 cyberfraud complaints linked to these accounts. Victims have been identified in multiple states, including:
- Gujarat
- Uttar Pradesh
- West Bengal
- Maharashtra
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
- Kerala
- Bihar
- Andhra Pradesh
Legal Actions and Ongoing Probe
A case has been registered at Padadhari police station by head constable Prakash Dangar under BNS Sections 317(2), 317(5), 318(4), 61(2), 54, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act. Police have launched a search for the absconding suspects and are meticulously examining the money trail to uncover further details of this extensive cyberfraud network.
