Limbayat police in Surat have arrested 2 people in connection with a ₹5.5 crore cyber fraud case registered in Mahisagar district, officials said. Investigators believe the fraud was carried out through an organised network that used multiple mule bank accounts to move money before transferring it to the bank account of an educational trust in Mahisagar.
Police said the accused did not use the stolen funds directly. Instead, the money was routed through several bank accounts that were opened or used only to circulate funds. These mule accounts are commonly used in cyber crimes to hide the origin of money and mask the identity of those who finally receive it.
According to investigators, the layered movement of funds made it difficult to trace the money trail at first. Detailed analysis of banking data and transaction patterns later showed that the money eventually converged into a single trust account after passing through several intermediary accounts.
The trust’s bank account came under scrutiny after banks flagged repeated high-value deposits and withdrawals as suspicious. Based on these alerts, a deeper review of the account activity was conducted, which led to a formal complaint being registered at the Lunawada taluka cyber crime police station.
During the investigation, police found that the accused allegedly earned a commission of around 25% for transferring the fraud proceeds into the trust’s account. Officials believe this commission model was used to encourage smooth movement of funds while keeping the wider network shielded from direct exposure.
The fraud came to light after several victims from different locations reported unauthorised online transactions and fraudulent digital payments. The cyber crime unit examined transaction logs, bank records, and digital evidence, which showed the money trail moving across multiple districts before ending in one account.
Based on technical evidence and banking documents, the suspects were identified and arrested in Surat. They were produced before a court and later handed over to Mahisagar police for further investigation.
Police said custodial interrogation will focus on identifying other members of the network, including those who provided mule accounts and those who offered technical or logistical support. Authorities are also examining whether the educational trust was aware that its account was being used to park proceeds of cyber crime.
Officials added that one accused is facing proceedings in another criminal case in Surat, which is being handled separately. With cyber fraud cases rising, police said more arrests may follow as the probe continues.
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