Gujarat Police’s Cyber Centre of Excellence has apprehended four individuals from Ahmedabad and Surat in connection with mule bank accounts used for cyber fraud and the Bhavnagar District Co-operative Bank hacking incident. This reveals a widespread cybercrime network across the nation. The arrests are part of “Operation Mule Hunt 2.0”, which has led to the capture of 55 suspects in the past month.
Among those arrested is Vishal Dodiya from Ahmedabad, who allegedly set up a fictitious company, Chamunda Communication, and opened multiple bank accounts under its name. These accounts were reportedly utilized by a cyber fraud syndicate to funnel money acquired through online scams targeting individuals in various states. Investigations showed that the Chamunda Communication accounts were associated with over 253 cybercrime cases nationwide, involving around Rs 161 crore in fraudulent transactions.
In a separate probe into the Bhavnagar District Co-operative Bank hacking, it was revealed that the accused gained unauthorized access to the bank’s systems, manipulated records, and transferred over Rs 7.34 crore to different accounts. This illicit activity caused financial harm to the bank while benefiting the wrongdoers. Subsequent examinations led to the arrest of two individuals from Surat, Mohammad Khaliq Ghulam Husain and Shoaib Gulabnabi Rana, who were allegedly involved in handling the fraud proceeds.
Further scrutiny uncovered 197 bank accounts, with 60 linked to more than 132 cybercrime complaints across India, amounting to an estimated fraud of Rs 53.55 crore. The arrests and investigations are part of the ongoing Operation Mule Hunt 2.0, conducted by CID Crime officers to combat cybercrime effectively.
