Gujarat Police is set to kick off “Operation Mule Hunt 2.0” in all districts starting Tuesday to crack down on mule bank accounts used by cybercriminals for money laundering. This decision came after a statewide review meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi via video conference on Monday night. Senior police officials, including Director General of Police K.L.N. Rao, were present at the meeting, with city police commissioners and district police chiefs joining virtually.
Strict instructions have been issued to conduct a targeted operation on mule accounts across Gujarat to safeguard citizens from cyber fraud and disrupt the financial networks supporting organized cybercrime. The meeting, which involved senior officials, aimed to evaluate current actions and enhance enforcement measures against cybercrime networks. The initiative follows the outcomes of Operation Mule Hunt 1.0, a month-long campaign by the Gujarat Police’s Cyber Centre of Excellence in December 2025.
During Operation Mule Hunt 1.0, police uncovered cyber fraud transactions totaling Rs 2,289 crore, filed 565 FIRs, and apprehended 638 suspects. Authorities took action against 913 mule accounts, connecting them to over 4,000 cybercrime cases nationwide. Mule accounts play a crucial role in the financial operations of cyber fraud, enabling criminals to move stolen funds through intricate layers, complicating traceability.
Investigators utilized data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, and the cybercrime helpline 1930 to identify suspicious transactions and trace fraud networks. Operation Mule Hunt 2.0 has already yielded significant breakthroughs this year, with Gujarat Police uncovering cyber fraud networks involving transactions worth Rs 53.55 crore and over Rs 288 crore in separate crackdowns across cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Anand.
Organized groups were found to be utilizing extensive mule account networks to channel illicit funds acquired through online scams. The current phase of the operation will concentrate on pinpointing, freezing, and dismantling mule account networks operating throughout Gujarat.
