Bhavnagar: In a major crackdown, Bhavnagar police have unearthed a cyber laundering racket involving suspicious transactions worth ₹21.37 crore, including confirmed fraud proceeds of ₹8.11 crore routed from across India to the Middle East. Police said the cybercrime syndicate has been dismantled, and 10 accused have been booked under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GujCTOC) Act.

Investigations revealed that the accused allegedly operated 134 mule bank accounts, with 272 complaints registered against them on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.

Police identified Dashrath Dhandhalya as the kingpin. He has been booked under the GujCTOC Act for the second time and is believed to have fled the country. Nine other accused have been arrested.

According to officials, the gang targeted vulnerable individuals by offering small payments in exchange for opening bank accounts. These individuals were then asked to hand over their banking kits, including debit cards and chequebooks, which were used for illegal transactions.

The syndicate had a structured network involving recruiters, account handlers, and operators. Some members withdrew money through ATMs and cheques, while others routed it through angadia (hawala) channels or converted it into cryptocurrency.

Police said the gang used advanced methods to avoid detection by transferring money through multiple accounts before converting it into cryptocurrency, such as USDT, and sending it abroad.

The investigation found that the network had been active for nearly three years across Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Surat, and Ahmedabad.

Those arrested include Aryan alias Lakhan Joseta, Shailesh alias Bhuro Chaudhari, Rahul Gohel, Shafin Qureshi, Mahin Qureshi, Mihir Sarvaiya, Aman Ofthani, Harshad Sarvaiya, and Dipak Gohil. Police said the accused have prior criminal records, with multiple FIRs registered against them. Further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat