Jaipur: The Jhalawar police, under Operation Shutdown, have busted a massive interstate cyber fraud racket that allegedly defrauded the government welfare schemes by siphoning the funds to the individuals who were not eligible under the schemes.
The police have claimed it to be the first massive fraud that has been uncovered in central and state welfare schemes like PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, pensions, compensation, etc.
Large-Scale Raids Across Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
In a large-scale operation, 70 police teams conducted simultaneous raids at 30 locations spanning 600 kilometers from Dausa and Jhalawar in Rajasthan to Madhya Pradesh and arrested 30 persons, including the mastermind of the gang, Ramavtar Sani. Properties worth ₹3 crore, including ₹52.69 lakh in cash, 14 luxury vehicles, and electronic equipment, were seized under the operation.
Investigation Reveals Mastermind and Modus Operandi
SP of Jhalawar Amit Kumar said that the operation was launched on confidential information about a person named Asik who was defrauding government schemes in the Kamkheda area.
“Our constables Ravi Sen and Sumit Kumar thoroughly investigated numerous bank accounts and suspicious transactions linked to the suspect Asik's mobile number and found that a systematic racket that has in-depth knowledge of government schemes is operating behind this,” said SP.
Fraud in Major Welfare Schemes
The investigation revealed that the mastermind of the racket, Ramavatar Sani, a resident of Dausa, exploited technical knowledge of government portals (such as DMIS) to secure benefits for ineligible individuals. He would purchase bank accounts and identity documents from ordinary people, defrauding the system, and transfer lakhs of rupees to their accounts. The gang leader and his agents kept a commission of 50% to 75% of this amount.
"Fraud was detected in major welfare schemes such as the Prime Minister’s Kisan Samman Nidhi, social security pensions, and compensation schemes. Funds were fraudulently withdrawn from Jodhpur, Kota, Bundi, and Dausa using identities sourced from Jhalawar,” Amit Kumar said.
Synchronised Raids to Prevent Evidence Destruction
To eliminate the possibility of even a single accused escaping or destroying evidence, the police discreetly identified three dozen hideouts spread across an area of 600-700 kilometers and conducted synchronized raids by forming 70 teams.
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Seizure of Cash, Vehicles, and Electronic Devices
Electronic devices, luxury vehicles, and cash worth ₹3 crore were seized from the accused arrested in the operation. Cash amounting to ₹52 lakh 69 thousand, over 11,000 suspicious bank accounts, 31 luxury vehicles, 560 identity cards, 29 PAN cards, and many scanners, swipe machines, pen drives, and QR scanners.
SP Vows Strict Legal Action
“It is our duty to ensure that this gang receives the harshest punishment possible under the law,” said SP.
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