Surat, Oct 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Surat Cyber Crime Cell has arrested a 27-year-old man from Porbandar for allegedly supplying bank accounts to an international cybercrime network, through which fraud proceeds were withdrawn, converted into USDT and transferred to wallets on the instructions of an absconding accused based in Dubai, police said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Divyesh alias Bapu alias Divlo Meghnathi, was arrested from Porbandar and has been remanded to six days in police custody, according to the Surat City Police.
Police said the case was registered after the accused and his associates allegedly hatched a conspiracy to obtain money through cyber fraud and used part of the proceeds to purchase a gold ring from a jewellery shop.
The case has been registered under Sections 317(4), 318(4), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008.
According to investigators, Divyesh allegedly obtained "mule" bank accounts from absconding accused persons in return for commission and shared their details with another absconding accused residing in Dubai.
The police said the accounts were subsequently used to receive money obtained through cyber fraud, including from Chinese individuals.
The accused and his associates allegedly withdrew the money through ATMs and cheques and retained 13 per cent of the transaction amount as commission.
The remaining money was allegedly used to purchase USDT from different individuals and transferred to different cryptocurrency wallets as directed by the Dubai-based accused.
During the investigation, police recovered a mobile phone from the accused and found details of 79 bank accounts belonging to different banks.
Checks of these accounts on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) revealed 53 complaints registered across 18 states and Union Territories.
The complaints included nine entries from Gujarat, seven from Uttar Pradesh, five from Telangana, three each from Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal, and two each from Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. One complaint each was registered in Delhi, Goa, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and Assam.
Police said the 53 complaints collectively indicated online fraud involving Rs 11,03,06,584.
The Cyber Crime Cell has appealed to people not to hand over their bank accounts to individuals offering commissions or other inducements, warning that such accounts can be used in cybercrime and that account holders may face legal action over transactions carried out through them.
Police also advised victims of financial cyber fraud to immediately call the national cybercrime helpline '1930', saying prompt reporting increases the possibility of funds being frozen in the concerned bank accounts.
Source: IANS
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