₹33 crore fraud, 33 lakh job seekers: Gujarat cyber cops bust pan-India scam linked to Chinese gang

AHMEDABAD: In a breakthrough, the Gujarat Police Cyber Crime Cell, Surat, has arrested the alleged mastermind of an interstate cyber fraud racket that used fake data entry jobs, mule bank accounts and cryptocurrency transactions to siphon off crores of rupees.

The accused, identified as Lovely alias Sameer alias Ravi Arora, was traced to Chennai after an intensive technical surveillance operation and arrested by the cybercrime team.

Police said the accused was allegedly working with a Chinese-linked cyber fraud network and was responsible for providing mule bank accounts through which illegally obtained money was allegedly routed and converted into USDT before being moved to Dubai.

The investigation took a major turn after police recovered 14 mobile phones, three laptops and SIM cards from the accused’s Chennai residence.

Examination of the devices allegedly revealed details of 34 bank accounts, against which 113 cybercrime complaints have been registered across India, involving fraud of more than ₹33.14 crore.33 lakh job seekers targetedThe racket, however, allegedly had another lucrative trap. According to Surat Cyber Crime DCP Vishakha Jain, the accused had access to data of more than 33 lakh job seekers, allegedly sourced from job-providing websites.