The West Region Cyber Police recently arrested a 32-year-old man from Surat, Hiren Barvalia, for his role in orchestrating a task scam that defrauded a Mumbai resident of Rs 19 lakh in March. Barvalia, a key member of a network that acquires bank accounts from people in exchange for a commission, used one of these accounts to deceive the victim by promising high returns through a Telegram group.
Initially, the victim earned some small profits, which led him to trust the fraudster. Encouraged by this initial success, the victim invested more money, eventually losing his entire savings. After realizing he had been scammed, the victim filed a complaint with the BKC Cyber Police in April.
Through their investigation, authorities learned that Barvalia and his associates had secured several bank accounts used for fraudulent transactions. These accounts were obtained through deceitful methods, with Barvalia facilitating the process. The cyber police uncovered that the gang had managed a total of 623 bank accounts used to conduct fraudulent transactions amounting to Rs 111 crore across India. The scam came to light after Surat Cyber Police discovered a diary in November that detailed the gang’s operations.
Barvalia, who was involved in acquiring bank account documentation from individuals for a commission, transferred the documents to associates based in Dubai. These associates would then withdraw the funds deposited into the accounts, completing the fraudulent transactions. The gang is reportedly responsible for over 200 FIRs nationwide, according to the police.
In June, Surat police arrested several individuals who had provided ‘mule’ accounts to the cyber criminals, and in subsequent operations, arrested Ajay Italia, Jalpesh Nadiadara, and Vishal Thumar. Barvalia was apprehended at Mumbai International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Dubai, and is now in police custody until January 2, 2025.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the wider network of fraudsters, as the scale of the scam expands across various states in India.
