Crime Branch busts ‘mule account’ racket in Ahmedabad, two arrested

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested two persons and busted a well-organised mule bank account racket allegedly used for cyber fraud, online gambling and money laundering, seizing over 160 ATM and debit cards, dozens of SIM cards and multiple banking documents during a raid in Vadaj.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused — Ronit alias Ganesh alias Jadu Bhinda (33) and Leena Manoj Bhatia (42) along with their associate Rishabh Jain and several others, were allegedly operating a network that procured bank accounts from economically vulnerable individuals on commission and used them to route proceeds of cybercrime.

The action was taken as part of Operation Mule, a special drive launched by Gujarat Police to identify and dismantle networks involved in the creation and use of mule accounts for fraudulent activities.

Acting on a tip-off received from a private informant, Crime Branch officials conducted a raid on December 25, 2025, at a rented flat located at C/1, Sourabji Apartment Cooperative Housing Society, Vadaj, Ahmedabad. During the search, the police found Ronit Bhinda and Leena Bhatia present in the house.

Police said the accused had allegedly lured people from economically weaker sections by offering commissions, collected their identity documents, and opened savings and current accounts in various banks in their names. In several cases, fictitious firms were created to justify the opening of current accounts. The SIM cards used for account registration and net banking were allegedly controlled by the accused themselves.

The FIR states that despite no genuine business activity being conducted, fake purchase and sale transactions were shown online, bogus bills were generated using rubber stamps, and funds obtained through cyber fraud and online gambling were routed through these accounts before being withdrawn in cash or converted into cryptocurrency.

During the raid, police seized 18 mobile phones, 11 bank passbooks, eight cheque books, 162 ATM and debit cards belonging to various banks, 41 SIM cards, a laptop, 10 rubber stamps of different firms and 19 MSME registration certificates. The total value of the seized items was estimated at around ₹2.06 lakh.

Preliminary questioning revealed that each mule account allegedly earned the accused a commission of ₹10,000 or more. Police said several WhatsApp and Telegram groups including those operating under names such as ‘MEGGIE Group’, ‘Professor Bank Group’ and ‘Account Service Group’ — were being used to coordinate the illegal activities, with contacts spread across India and abroad.

The Crime Branch has registered a case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections related to cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and organised financial crime. Further investigation is underway to trace the money trail, identify additional accused and ascertain the scale of the fraud.

Police officials said more arrests are likely as bank account holders, digital evidence and financial records are being scrutinised.