Mumbai Crime Branch Busts Gang Involved in Cybercrime Scheme

In a major crackdown on cybercrime, the Mumbai Crime Branch's Unit 2 has busted a gang involved in renting and selling bank accounts and SIM cards to cyber fraudsters and operators of illegal online gaming scams. The operation is linked to syndicates operating from Thailand, China, Dubai, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Five suspects, including a woman, have been arrested in the operation. The arrested accused have been identified as Vaibhav Patil, Sunil Paswan, Aman Gautam (the key mastermind from Uttar Pradesh), his wife Khusboo Sundarjulia, and Ritesh Bandekar.

Key Takeaways:

• The gang lured poor residents with promises of quick cash for opening bank accounts using their PAN and Aadhaar details, with one daily wage worker from Dahisar being paid Rs. 10,000 to open an account.
• The accounts used in international cyber frauds were linked to "digital arrest" scams and online gaming frauds, and the gang provided these accounts and SIM cards to cybercriminals abroad, enabling them to operate without leaving a trace in India.
• The gang was using financial transaction records and SIM card usage to operate, and police suspected the racket's operations extend well beyond Mumbai, with strong connections to international cyber fraud rings.
• Investigators found that most accounts were opened in the names of slum dwellers but controlled and operated by the accused.
• Police are probing whether bank officials neglected KYC verification protocols while opening these accounts.
• Aman Gautam, the key mastermind from Uttar Pradesh, had shifted to Mumbai about 18 months ago and set up operations targeting vulnerable people in slum areas.

Statistics:

• 5 suspects, including a woman, have been arrested in the operation.
• 50 bank passbooks, ATM cards, swiping machines, two laptops, and dozens of SIM cards were seized in the raid.
• The accounts seized were used for large-scale transactions linked to cyber fraud schemes such as "digital arrest" scams and online gaming frauds.
• Rs. 10,000 was paid to a daily wage worker from Dahisar to open an account.

Sources:

• Indian National Press (Bombay) Pvt. Ltd., distributed by Contify.com, 2025.