New Delhi [India], August 8 : In a major breakthrough, the Cyber Police Station of South West District has arrested five notorious cyber fraudsters from the Jodhpur and Balotra gangs, an official statement said.
The accused were identified as Ravindra Vishnoi, Mahipal, Mohd. Yaseen, Rohit Nimbawat (also known as Ronny or Vikky, 24 years), and Yash Vaishnav.
The operation led to the recovery of 10 high-end mobile phones, 12 proxy SIM cards, seven mule bank accounts, seven debit cards, 2 JIO routers, and three suspect IDs, dealing a significant blow to cybercrime networks in the region.
On June 12, following a complaint to NCRP about online financial fraud of Rs. 17,31,425, the police lodged and registered an FIR.
The complainant alleged that on June 11, he was added to a Telegram group named "971 CBOE". Upon enquiry, he was informed that he could earn Rs 50 per task by completing Google reviews for hotels across India. Initially, he received payments as promised. Subsequently, he was directed to visit a website, where he was instructed to register with a username and password. He was then told to invest a minimum of Rs 2,000 (for new users) up to Rs 1.5 lakhs (for VIP users), with a promised return of 30 per cent-40 per cent. UPI IDs were provided for making the payments. Initially, he was asked to invest more for "economy tasks" and was told that Rs 2,000 was only for newcomers.
The complainant further said that he was asked to invest Rs 15,000, which he did. Following successful trades, he was asked to complete three more tasks, requiring further investments of Rs 30,000, Rs 90,100 & Rs 1,60,000. After these transactions, he was shown a balance of Rs 3,62,650, but withdrawal was again denied, citing a "technical error" and that the account was frozen. To unfreeze the account, he was asked to pay Rs 4,36,325. After compliance, the balance shown was Rs 11,98,462. Later, he was further asked to deposit on one pretext or another, and he was duped of Rs 17,31,425.
According to the statement, upon investigation, law enforcement has apprehended three individuals believed to be involved in a sophisticated mule account fraud scheme operating across multiple states. The operation began with a focus on the technical aspects of the case, gathering crucial information from banks and telecom service providers.
The investigation led to the capture of Mohd. Yaseen, a resident of Baltora, Rajasthan. Upon interrogation, Yaseen revealed that he had sold his bank account to individuals identified as Vikky, alias Rohit, and Yash Vaishnav. Following proper legal protocols, Yaseen was arrested, leading to a series of targeted raids based on technical surveillance and information obtained from him.
Subsequent operations resulted in the successful apprehension of Rohit Nimbawat, also known as Ronny and Vikky, alongside Yash Vaishnav, both residents of Baltora. During questioning, the duo disclosed their connection to Ravi, a notorious kingpin linked to multiple gang activities in Balotra and Jodhpur, who allegedly orchestrates the supply of mule accounts across India.
Authorities confirmed that both Rohit and Yash have been arrested in connection with this ongoing investigation as efforts continue to dismantle the broader network involved in these fraudulent activities. Agencies conducted a series of raids across Jodhpur, Balotra, and Jaipur in connection with a cyber-fraud case. The primary suspect, Ravi, evaded capture for an extended period. However, after meticulous surveillance and multiple operations in Delhi and Rajasthan, authorities finally located him at Bolinj in Phalghar district, Maharashtra, the statement said.
During the apprehension, Ravi revealed that he, in collaboration with his associate Mahipal from Jodhpur City, was involved in obtaining bank accounts from various account holders on a commission basis. These accounts were allegedly used in Telegram groups to facilitate the transfer of duped funds to accomplices based in China through USDT (Tether).
Ravi further disclosed that he and Mahipal provided mule bank accounts in Nepal and Singapore to the Chinese fraudsters. Authorities recovered a cache of evidence from his possession, including four mobile phones, 12 mule SIM cards, seven mule account passbooks, debit cards, and two Wi-Fi dongles, the statement added.
Following his arrest, Ravi was taken on transit remand to Delhi and subsequently placed on PC (Police Custody) remand for further interrogation. In a continued effort to dismantle the syndicate, another raid led to the arrest of co-accused Mahipal from Jodhpur.