Latest news with #BNPatel
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
Cyber gangs now hiring ‘mules' at paan shops to dodge police radar
Vadodara: That unassuming paan stall at the street corner may be hiding more than just tobacco and chatter — it might be a front for cybercrime recruitment. During a recent probe into a major cyber fraud case, city police uncovered a surprising trend: gangs scouting for 'mules'— people whose bank accounts are used to route stolen funds — right outside paan shops. "We were interrogating the accused, natives of Rajkot, who operated multiple bank accounts to transfer money siphoned from victims. These accounts were opened using genuine documents of different people. During the investigation, we learned the gang obtained documents by promising people a fixed monthly payout," said BN Patel, Cyber Crime police inspector. The accused revealed that they approached potential mules while hanging around paan stalls in Rajkot. "They struck casual conversations with visitors — often those buying paan or cigarettes — and targeted individuals who appeared financially weak. The gang offered them a few thousand rupees to open bank accounts and later took control of them," Patel told TOI. These accounts were then used to launder stolen money. "Typically, cyber gangs rely on family or friends, but such connections make them easier to trace. Recruiting strangers at public places like paan shops made it harder for police to track the fraud trail," the police said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3 capsules per dag en na 2 weken zat mijn broek te los! Femme Weekelijks Meer lezen Undo Investigators also found that SIM cards were obtained in the names of these mules to carry out fraudulent transactions. Police had arrested three men from Rajkot last month in connection with a Rs 69 lakh cyber fraud case. This new modus operandi surfaced during questioning, prompting police to explore whether other fraud networks are using similar tactics.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Time of India
3 held in Rajkot for providing cybercriminals accounts
Vadodara: Cybercrime sleuths arrested three men who allegedly provided bank accounts to a gang to perpetrate cyberfraud. All the accused were arrested from Rajkot, after police traced back accounts used in crimes to them. "The trio opened some 10 accounts in various banks and then gave the accounts to a cyberfraud gang, which paid them a commission. The accounts were in the names of various people. The cybercriminals use such accounts to transfer the stolen money and withdraw it," said B N Patel, Cybercrime police inspector. The persons arrested are Ravi Vala, Firoz Dodhiya and Aqil Belim. "All three are labourers," the police said. "We are trying to get details of the person they sold the bank accounts to. Once we track him down, we will be able to bust the gang," Patel told TOI. Police were investigating a Rs 1.28 crore fraud case, filed by a businessman at the Cybercrime police station. The gang lured the businessman by promising rich returns from stock market investments and convinced him to bring in more investors. The accused got him to download a fraudulent mobile app saying he could monitor his 'investments' on it. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari Undo Police said the app showed him bogus profit figures, so he kept investing until he realized he had been cheated. "The gang used several bank accounts to transfer stolen funds, and hence they roped in the accused trio. We are also investigating if the trio provided bank accounts to other gangs in the past," Patel added.
