The Cyber Crime Unit under Surat Range IG has made additional arrests in an ongoing investigation into a major cyber fraud racket linked to a Chinese syndicate.
Earlier, five individuals were arrested in the same case. In this phase, two more suspects—Safwan Abdul Rauf Shaikh (29) and Altamas Maqbool Shaikh (31), both tea vendors—were caught with 47 credit cards in their possession.
Police revealed that the duo maintained good credit scores to acquire multiple cards, which were then used in online fraud operations. Working with Salman Habibkhan Pathan (29), a mobile shop owner, they allegedly used proceeds from scams to buy iPhones, pay off card bills, and trade in USDT cryptocurrency.
The fraud involved creating fake social media profiles pretending to be from the reputed DLF real estate company. Victims were lured with daily online tasks, supposedly related to property purchases, and promised Rs1,500–Rs3,000 daily earnings.
One complainant from Olpad was tricked into transferring over Rs14.84 lakh, believing they were earning commission through legitimate transactions.
Further investigation has exposed direct links to a Chinese gang, suspected of managing the backend operations and laundering the illicit earnings through crypto exchanges.
The Surat Cyber Police continue to track the financial trails and digital footprints in an effort to dismantle the entire network.
