In a major crackdown on organised cybercrime, the Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCOE) of CID (Crime), Gandhinagar, on Tuesday dismantled an inter-state fraud racket involving over Rs 39.41 crore. Two key accused were arrested from Ahmedabad for their alleged role in 59 cyber offences.
The arrested men have been identified as Amit Gangera (38), a salon operator, and Ritesh Patel (42), a stationary trader, both residents of Vinzol. Acting on specific intelligence and sustained technical surveillance, investigators tracked the duo, who allegedly operated on commission by routing fraud money through mule bank accounts.
According to police, the accused targeted financially distressed businessmen and convinced them to rent out their bank accounts in exchange for a commission. These accounts were then used to receive and transfer funds generated through various cyber frauds. The scams included digital arrest fraud, investment scams, UPI-related fraud, trading fraud and part-time job scams.
During the operation, police seized 3 mobile phones and Rs 5 lakh in cash. Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network and trace the final beneficiaries of the siphoned funds.
Officials said the accused were linked to at least 59 cybercrime cases registered across several states, amounting to Rs 39.41 crore. Examination of their mobile phones revealed details of 11 additional bank accounts.
When verified on the national cybercrime portal, these accounts were connected to complaints from Maharashtra (13), Karnataka (10), Haryana (5), Delhi (4), Tamil Nadu (4), Uttar Pradesh (4), Gujarat (3), Kerala (3), Telangana (3), Andhra Pradesh (2), Ladakh (2), Odisha (2), Jharkhand (1), Punjab (1), Uttarakhand (1) and West Bengal (1).
Police advisory:
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Do not rent or share your bank account, ATM card, cheque book or SIM card with anyone.
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Inform the nearest police station or cybercrime cell if someone approaches you to rent bank accounts or SIM cards.
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Avoid investing in social media ads promising unusually high returns in a short time.
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Verify the authenticity of any investment company before transferring money.
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In case of cyberfraud, contact the national cyber helpline 1930 within the “golden hour” (first hour).
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