Cyber fraud case worth ₹1,550-cr busted in Surat, Udhna police arrest 4

In Gujarat’s Surat, Udhna police have arrested four persons in connection with a large-scale cyber fraud racket involving the supply of mule bank accounts and SIM cards to an international gang, exposing a scam estimated at ₹1,550 crore.

Those arrested include a money transfer businessman who allegedly provided a mule bank account in the name of his father, two managers of an angadia (traditional courier) firm, and a person suspected of having links with a Chinese cyber fraud network. Police have seized cash, gold, silver and rough diamonds worth ₹2.60 crore in the operation.

The arrests followed an analysis of bank statements that revealed suspicious transactions amounting to nearly ₹90 lakh in a Bandhan Bank account held by Jagdish Chandra Choksi, the father of the accused money transfer agent, Amit Choksi.

The case traces back to May 21, 2025, when police uncovered PAN cards bearing different names and a proprietor’s stamp in the possession of a two-wheeler rider during a routine vehicle check. This uncovered a vast network involved in opening bank accounts using forged identities and supplying complete account kits, along with registered SIM cards, to cyber fraud syndicates operating overseas.

So far, the Udhna police have identified around 164 such bank accounts, arrested 25 accused, and filed a charge sheet running into nearly 1.5 lakh pages.

During questioning, police found that the proceeds of cyber fraud were routed through Jagdish Chandra Choksi’s account, allegedly operated online by Abdul Rab Khatia. Funds withdrawn from the account were then deposited at the office of Chirag alias Charlie Sutaria and Pravin Gadhia in Mahidharpura, who allegedly converted the cash into cryptocurrency (USDT) and transferred it back to the cyber fraud operators.

Following the arrests of Chirag Sutaria and Pravin Gadhia, police conducted searches at their office and lockers, seizing ₹1.92 crore in cash, 288.96 grams of gold valued at ₹39.36 lakh, 10.8 kg of silver worth ₹27.43 lakh, and 413.37 carats of rough diamonds. Four currency counting machines were also recovered.

All four accused were presented  before a court and remanded in police custody for five days.

Udhna Police Inspector Shailesh Desai said the accused earned a commission of ₹300 to ₹350 for every ₹1 lakh transferred through mule accounts. “Bank statement analysis shows transactions of around ₹90 lakh in the account used for the fraud,” Desai said, adding that further investigation into the wider network is ongoing.