A cybercrime investigation in Ahmedabad has uncovered a vast financial racket that spans across 21 states, involving the use of forged Aadhaar cards to open bank accounts and launder money. Police have arrested 11 individuals, including key members of the syndicate, but the mastermind, Sunil Dhirani, remains on the run. Investigators are still piecing together the full scope of the operation, which involved sophisticated fraud techniques.
The breakthrough in the case came from a February 5 raid at a Parshwa Residency apartment in Chandkheda, Ahmedabad. During the operation, officers arrested nine individuals and seized fraudulent banking documents, SIM cards, and a weapon. The group is believed to have been involved in various cybercrimes, including job frauds, task frauds, investment scams, and even digital arrest schemes.
The ringleader, Suresh Bishnoi, along with his associates from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, confessed to using falsified Aadhaar card details to open several bank accounts in Ahmedabad. The gang reportedly manipulated the Aadhaar numbers by keeping the original IDs but altering the addresses to Gujarat locations using fraudulent OTP verifications.
Once the bank accounts were set up, they handed over ATM cards, chequebooks, and passbooks to Bishnoi, who then forwarded them to Sunil Dhirani in Jodhpur. Authorities believe Dhirani was instrumental in moving and laundering the defrauded money across India through RTGS and IMPS transfers, helping criminals evade detection.
Further investigation is ongoing, as the police track the rest of the syndicate involved in this financial fraud network.
