Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Unit-2 has busted a major cyber fraud racket allegedly operating from Goa while investigating a cyber fraud case registered at Pydhonie Police Station. Police raided a luxurious 2,000-square-foot villa near Calangute Beach and arrested 12 accused. The investigation revealed that the villa was allegedly being used as a training and operations centre for cyber fraud. The probe has also revealed that the alleged mastermind behind the racket is based in Sri Lanka. Police suspect that crores of rupees generated through various cyber frauds were being routed to Dubai from the Goa-based operation.
Luxury Villa Used As Training And Operations Centre
The accused allegedly carried out different types of cyber fraud, including digital arrest scams, WhatsApp DP-related frauds and APK file-based frauds. The money collected through these frauds was allegedly transferred to Dubai. One of the arrested accused, Iliyaz Memon (38), is a Mumbai resident, while the remaining 11 accused are residents of Ahmedabad and Rajkot in Gujarat. The accused had allegedly rented the 2,000-square-foot villa in Goa for around ₹1 lakh per month. Police suspect that the villa had been rented for the past six to eight months.
₹500 Crore Transactions Under Probe
According to investigators, the accused were allegedly paid a 3% commission on transactions routed to Dubai, apart from a monthly salary of around ₹25,000 to ₹30,000. Police said the accused were living a lavish lifestyle. Investigators are now examining whether similar cyber fraud call centres are operating from villas located near beaches in Goa. The development has raised concerns over whether cyber fraud networks are gradually shifting their operations to Goa.
Sri Lanka emerging as a possible cyber fraud hub? : Investigators have found that cyber fraud kingpins have previously operated from countries such as Cambodia. However, in this case, the alleged main handler is believed to be based in Sri Lanka. This has raised questions over whether Sri Lanka is emerging as a new hub for cyber fraud operations and whether authorities there will take steps to curb such networks.
Records from accused's notebooks recovered
According to police, the investigation began after information was received that money was being routed through mule bank accounts in the Pydhonie area. Since the fraud proceeds were being transferred through multiple bank accounts, investigators began tracing the upper links of the money trail.
During the investigation, police found that records maintained by the accused in notebooks were being transported to Goa by bus. Based on this information, the Crime Branch traced the operation to the villa in Calangute and conducted the raid.
₹500 crore transactions under scanner:
The investigation has so far revealed the use of more than 150 mule bank accounts. Police suspect that transactions worth around ₹500 crore were carried out through these accounts over the past six months.
The racket is also suspected to be linked to 83 cyber fraud cases registered across the country. Investigators are now examining the complete network and the beneficiaries of the fraud proceeds.
Youngsters recruited through garment business : All the arrested accused are reportedly residents of Ahmedabad and Rajkot in Gujarat, and are aged between 21 and 23 years. Some of them have studied up to Classes 10 and 12.
Police said the accused were allegedly trained by absconding members of the racket. Youngsters were reportedly recruited into the network through the pretext of working in the garment business, after which they were trained to carry out cyber fraud-related activities.
Rudra app used for communication: The investigation has revealed that the accused communicated with members of the network through an application called Rudra. The main handlers are suspected to be based abroad and efforts are underway to trace them. The accused allegedly received a 3% commission on every transaction, along with a monthly salary. Investigators found that the fraud proceeds were eventually converted into USDT (Tether cryptocurrency), making it difficult for agencies to trace the movement of the money.
Bank accounts worth up to ₹100 crore being frozen: The Crime Branch has initiated the process of freezing bank accounts containing suspected proceeds of fraud. Police have so far initiated action involving accounts holding approximately ₹50 crore to ₹100 crore. The arrested accused have been remanded in police custody until August 11. Further investigation is underway to identify the foreign handlers, trace the flow of funds to Dubai and establish the full extent of the cyber fraud network.
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