The Cyber Crime Police have arrested six individuals involved in a significant cyber fraud racket that was operating from Dubai. The arrests took place on Friday, and the suspects have been placed in police custody for three days.
Among those apprehended are Raju Raiyani, Vijay Od, Mahesh Bhadiyadara, Chandresh Kakadiya, Hardik Desai, and T Thirugnanam. This group allegedly created bank accounts in the names of unsuspecting individuals, utilizing them for fraudulent transactions.
Investigations revealed that the gang obtained SIM cards and bank account kits from Dubai, which were then used to open both savings and current accounts in various banks. These accounts facilitated financial fraud, including investment scams and online gaming schemes.
The accused earned commissions ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh per account, based on the type of account and the volume of transactions. A large cache of SIM cards, bank account kits, and debit cards has been seized by the police.
The ringleaders of the operation—Vijay Parmar, Mukesh Parmar, Mayank Sojitra, Arun, Ajay Kakadiya, Tushar, Raju, Niles Patel, Mitesh Patel, Ketan Vaigela, and Milan Darji—remain at large, prompting a police manhunt.
During initial questioning, the suspects disclosed that they had opened fraudulent bank accounts in the names of 136 individuals from Surat and nearby areas. The bank account kits and SIM cards were shipped to Dubai, where the fraudsters executed their schemes.
T Thirugnanam, a resident of Tamil Nadu, was arrested at a hotel in the Station area for collecting the bank account kits and SIM cards. His involvement came to light after Vijay Od disclosed details during interrogation.
The Cyber Crime Police are conducting further investigations to locate the remaining suspects and ensure justice is served.