Mumbai, August 6, 2026: The Mumbai Crime Branch's Unit-2 has busted a major international cyber fraud and illegal online gaming syndicate by raiding a luxury villa in Candolim, Goa, and arresting 12 accused.
The syndicate is suspected to have laundered more than Rs 500 crore of cyber fraud proceeds through multiple bank accounts over the past six months. Acting swiftly, the Crime Branch also succeeded in freezing Rs 100 crore lying in various bank accounts linked to the racket.
According to the Crime Branch, the accused had been trained for nearly 15 days to rapidly transfer funds through multiple bank accounts within minutes before being deployed in the illegal operation. The luxury villa, where the racket was being operated, had been rented specifically for carrying out the cyber fraud activities.
Twelve Accused Arrested
The arrested accused have been identified as Hardik Kishorbhai Vadhera (40) of Bhavnagar, Gujarat; Ilyas Jan Mohammad Memon (38) of Jogeshwari, Mumbai; Raj Alpeshbhai Vala (20) of Amreli, Gujarat; Rudra Mahendrabhai Machhor (20) of Rajkot, Gujarat; Nikunj Kalubhai Patel (38) of Surat, Gujarat; Yogesh Prafulbhai Solanki (28) of Amreli, Gujarat; Rambhai Jagbhai Mundwa (31) of Amreli, Gujarat; Vishal Prakashbhai Borania (26) of Botad district, Gujarat; Bhavinkumar Arvindbhai Dangasiya (35) of Ahmedabad, Gujarat; Kerul Vandubhai Rodani (34) of Surat, Gujarat; Hiten Mukeshbhai Solanki (23) of Amreli, Gujarat; and Yuvraj Bharatsing Rana (27) of Rajkot district, Gujarat.
The breakthrough came during the investigation of a cyber fraud case registered at Pydhonie Police Station in Mumbai. During the interrogation of previously arrested accused and technical analysis of digital evidence, investigators uncovered links leading to the Goa-based operation.
The probe revealed that fake documents were being used to open mule bank accounts in Mumbai and procure activated SIM cards. Sensitive documents, including cheque books, ATM cards and passbooks, were allegedly transported from Mumbai to Goa through luxury buses to avoid police detection.
Goa Raid Uncovers Racket
Based on specific intelligence, a special team of Crime Branch Unit-2 rushed to Goa and, on August 4, 2026, conducted a raid at Casa De Nicole Villa in the Calangute Police Station jurisdiction.
During the operation, police allegedly caught the accused red-handed while operating computers and mobile phones to process financial transactions linked to cyber fraud. The accused are residents of Gujarat and Mumbai.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajatilak Roshan said that the syndicate was being operated from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The arrested accused allegedly worked on a monthly salary of Rs 35,000 along with a 3 per cent commission for routing fraud proceeds.
They reportedly used betting and cyber fraud applications, including 100 Panel and Rudra, to process deposit and withdrawal requests. The fraud money was transferred through hundreds of bank accounts in small amounts to avoid detection by banks and law enforcement agencies.
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Cash Frozen, Equipment Seized
During the raid, the Crime Branch seized 15 laptops, 85 mobile phones, 128 ATM cards, 76 SIM cards, 22 cheque books, 77 passbooks and several incriminating documents. Preliminary forensic examination revealed details of more than 150 active bank accounts.
Technical analysis has so far linked these accounts to more than 83 complaints registered across the country on the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930). Police are now working to identify and arrest the Dubai-based mastermind and other members of the international syndicate.
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