The city police arrested three members of an interstate racket on Wednesday for allegedly selling bank accounts in the grey market and on the dark web for illegal activities such as cryptocurrency trading, money laundering, and parking funds. The arrested individuals were identified as Utsavkumar Bhaisaniya (23), a Surat resident, along with Rishikesh Bhagwat (22) from Sinhagadh Colony and Anurag Ghodke (21) from Mhasobanagar, both local aides in the scheme.
The police raid, conducted by the Economic Offences Wing, Anti-Terrorism Branch, and Cybercrime Unit, began late on Tuesday night and lasted over five hours. The trio was arrested from a hotel in Nirala Bazaar, and a local court remanded them to four days of police custody for further interrogation.
An FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by Assistant Inspector Rajendra Bansode from the Anti-Terrorism Branch. The case includes charges under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Indian Penal Code), including criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and fraud, along with charges under the Information Technology Act for cheating by personation through computer sources.
According to the police, the trio operated by targeting vulnerable individuals such as college students, farmers, and unorganised workers. They paid small sums to these individuals to help them open new bank accounts. After obtaining the accounts, Bhagwat and Ghodke collected the cheque books, ATM cards, customer IDs, and passwords, which were handed over to Bhaisaniya, who then sold them on the grey market and dark web.
It is suspected that the gang had opened over 100 bank accounts in recent months, using them for illegal activities. The police also uncovered evidence of terror suspects possibly using similar methods to source bank accounts for cryptocurrency transactions. This issue became particularly relevant following investigations into the Rameshwaram Café blast case in Bengaluru, where terror suspects were linked to cryptocurrency fraud through accounts sourced similarly.
The city police have also discovered evidence suggesting that the suspects were involved in the illegal procurement of SIM cards using documents obtained from unsuspecting people. The Cybercrime Branch noted that the suspects had deleted significant amounts of data linked to the bank accounts they sold, obstructing further investigation.
The Commissioner of Police, Pravin Pawar, emphasized the seriousness of such activities, saying, “Selling bank accounts to third parties for illegal transactions is a grave crime, and we are committed to cracking down on these rackets.”
This case highlights a growing trend of cybercrimes and money laundering facilitated through fraudulent banking activities and illegal transactions on the dark web. The investigation continues, with police suspecting even wider networks operating across the country.
