Ahmedabad woman, acquaintance booked for leasing bank account to cyber-fraud syndicate

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has booked a 35-year-old woman from Amraiwadi and her acquaintance for allegedly renting out a bank account to a cyber-fraud syndicate that used it to receive and route money collected through online scams.

As per the FIR filed on Thursday, Bhavanaben Kanabhai Thakor, a resident of Haripura, allegedly opened a Bank of Baroda account on July 22, 2025 and handed over its control to her acquaintance Aaqub Syed alias 'Kante' in exchange for commission.

Investigators said Bhavanaben was aware that a gang operating in the city was involved in cybercrime, yet she provided her account to Syed, who allegedly worked as a middleman for a syndicate conducting online fraud.

As per the FIR, the gang lured citizens across India by gaining their trust and then defrauding them through Google Pay and other online payment tricks. Money siphoned off from victims was regularly deposited into Bhavanaben’s bank account.

Police stated that once the funds entered the account, the accused used cheques to withdraw ₹2.3 lakh in cash, which was then handed over to Syed outside the Bank of Baroda’s S M Road branch. In return, Bhavanaben allegedly received ₹1,750 as commission.

The case was flagged during Operation Mule, a state-wide campaign launched by the Gujarat Police to identify “mule accounts” bank accounts opened and rented out solely for illegal transactions.

The Cyber Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar had provided information on several Ahmedabad-based mule accounts linked to cyber-fraud complaints registered on the national cybercrime portal. One such complaint from Uttar Pradesh was traced to Bhavanaben’s account.

When Crime Branch officers attempted to locate her at her registered address, she was not found. She was later contacted telephonically and allegedly admitted that she had opened the account and handed over all instruments to Syed.

Based on the findings, police have booked Bhavanaben Kanabhai Thakor and Aaqub Syed alias Kante under sections of BNS, which deal with facilitating organised illegal activity and unlawful financial transactions.

Police said further enquiries are underway to identify other members of the cyber-fraud syndicate and track additional mule accounts linked to the racket.