Gujarat cops arrest 6 for routing Rs 200 cr to Dubai-based cyber criminals using 100 'mule' accounts

Ahmedabad, Nov 3 (PTI) The Gujarat police's CID-Crime has arrested six persons for allegedly routing Rs 200 crore to Dubai-based cyber criminals using nearly 100 'mule' bank accounts, officials said on Monday.

Based on a specific tip off and subsequent investigation, the Gandhinagar-based Cyber Centre of Excellence of the CID-Crime arrested Mahendra Solanki, Rupen Bhatia, Rakesh Lania, Rakesh Dekivadia, Vijay Khambhalya and Pankaj Kathiria from Morbi, Surendranagar, Surat and Amreli districts, they said.

A mule account is a bank account used by criminals to receive, transfer, or launder illicit funds with or without the knowledge of the account holder, they added.

"Investigators found details of over 100 'mule' bank accounts from the mobile phones recovered from these accused. They provided 'mule' bank accounts to cyber criminals operating in different states and then sent the fraudulently acquired money to Dubai-based crime syndicate through angadia (cash courier service) or through crypto currency transfers," a CID-Crime release said.

Upon checking details on the Union Home Ministry's 'Samanvaya' portal, it was found that the 100 bank accounts were used in 386 cyber crimes such as digital arrest, task fraud, investment fraud, loan fraud and part-time job fraud registered across the country, with victims being made to deposit Rs 200 crore in them, it said.

"The accused, for a specific commission, agreed to provide bank accounts to these cyber fraudsters to help them accept money from the victims. The accused used to withdraw cash from these bank accounts and send it to Dubai-based crime syndicates through 'angadia' (traditional couriers) or through crypto currency transfers," the release said. PTI PJT BNM