21 hours ago
Surat police uncover cryptocurrency trail in cross-border cyber scam
Surat: In a major breakthrough, the Surat Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) has unearthed an international cybercrime racket with suspected links to China, Pakistan, and Myanmar.
The operation came to light after a raid at a hotel in the Mahidharpura area, where two youths from Jodhpur were arrested.
The accused — Ramswarup Bishnoi and Sagar Bishnoi, both 20 — were staying in Room 409 of Janta Inn Hotel near Surat railway station. Acting on a tip-off, DCB officials detained them and seized eight mobile phones, bank account kits, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, diaries, and other suspicious documents.
Preliminary investigation revealed financial transactions amounting to several crores of rupees, including large sums in cryptocurrency (USDT). Police said the duo had travelled to Surat to procure bank account kits to be used in fraudulent online operations.
An FIR has been lodged against six people — five from Jodhpur and one from Surat.
Analysis of the seized mobile phones revealed each device contained up to 19 email IDs linked to various bank accounts and transactional records.
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Several banking applications were installed and investigators found statements pointing to transactions running into crores.
Accounts were found to be associated with several banks, including City Union Bank, Northeast Small Finance Bank, Federal Bank, State Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank. Cryptocurrency wallets linked to high-value USDT transactions were also recovered.
Police said digital evidence suggested coordination with international cybercrime syndicates operating through Telegram channels. One such group, named 'Bookkeeping Robot Ram,' was allegedly used by the network to share bank account details.
According to investigators, the accused came in contact with the key conspirator, Pramod Bishnoi of Jodhpur, in Feb 2025. Pramod reportedly lured them with the promise of high returns in cryptocurrency trading and introduced them to Sanjay Gabu, a Surat-based contact who allegedly sold them 193 bank accounts.
The accused then forwarded the bank kits and MPINs to Gnan Bishnoi and Shyam Bishnoi in Jodhpur, who uploaded the details to the Telegram group operated by Chinese handlers. Once money was deposited in the accounts, it was withdrawn and routed to Jodhpur via courier Vishnu Angadiya. The amount was then converted into cryptocurrency and transferred abroad using the Binance app.
DCB officials have also raided multiple locations in Surat and detained additional suspects.
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Levis-Jack and Jones products found
In addition to digital evidence, DCB officials also seized branded merchandise including shoes, jeans, t-shirts, shirts, and bags from labels such as Levi's and Jack & Jones. A total of 68 articles valued at approximately Rs 2.28 lakh were confiscated. According to police, the accused admitted to purchasing these items from malls and retail outlets in Surat. They would allegedly damage the products and then contact the respective companies to claim refunds.
Instead of returning the items, the accused would retain them and sell them for profit after securing the refund.
