Cyber crime cell busts Mehsana-based cheque fraud racket, 8 arrested, ₹64 lakh diverted via bogus accounts

In a coordinated crackdown on a cyber fraud network operating across Mehsana district, the State Cyber Crime Cell of Gujarat CID has arrested eight individuals allegedly involved in a sophisticated cheque-based financial scam amounting to ₹64.30 lakh.

According to the Superintendent of Police, CID (Crime), Gandhinagar, the arrests were made following technical surveillance and analysis of complaints lodged on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCCRP), initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi.

The investigation was launched under a dedicated technical support unit that was constituted to zero in on the perpetrators exploiting online investment scams under the guise of “offline trading”.

The modus operandi

The accused would contact unsuspecting victims, particularly targeting bank accountants, and lure them with promises of high returns through offline stock trading. Once trust was established, the victims were made to invest funds with the assurance of investment tips and profits. However, the accused allegedly breached this trust, neither returning the principal amount nor providing the promised returns.

One such case was flagged from Mehsana, where fraudulent withdrawals through cheques were made from multiple bank accounts. The complaint was formally lodged by Rahul Singh Rajendrasinh Vaghela with the State Cyber Crime Cell.

Raids and arrests

Based on mobile data and human intelligence inputs, simultaneous raids were carried out at four different locations across Mehsana district. Eight individuals were arrested, including those running cyber cafes and individuals from private occupations:

1. Shailesh Singh Jitendra Singh Thakor (27), cyber cafe operator, Balol village

2. Bharatbhai Sagarbhai Desai (38), cyber cafe operator, Balol village

3. Nikul Ambalalbhai Patel (32), auto driver, Srinagar Society, Mehsana

4. Mehulbhai Gelabhai Makwana (33), private employee, Golden Homes Row House Society, Mehsana

5. Jayesh Kumar Amritlal Patel (53), pan parlour owner, near D-Mart, Mehsana

6. Hitendra Prabhudas Patel (40), private employee, Kansa village, Visnagar

7. Rinkeshbhai Arvindbhai Patel (28), farmer, Abasan village, Vijapur

8. Nareshji Sukhdevji Thakor (27), labourer, Rajpur Road, Vadnagar

Seizures and legal action

Police recovered several incriminating items from the accused, including:

• Cheque books and bank passbooks
• Multiple debit and credit cards
• Aadhaar and election ID cards
• Mobile phones
• Vehicle RC books
• Documents related to enterprise setups and rental agreements

The CID has registered a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, and further investigation is on.