Surat Cyber Crime Unit Uncovers Racket Involving Rental Bank Accounts and Kits Sent to Dubai
In a significant breakthrough, the Surat Cyber Crime Unit has exposed a major racket involving the rental of bank accounts and the illegal transfer of account kits and SIM cards to Dubai. The racket reportedly involved luring individuals with promises of high commissions ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹1.5 lakh for renting out new bank accounts. The authorities have arrested several suspects from Surat and Tamil Nadu, with additional individuals wanted in Dubai.
The operation was exposed when the Cyber Crime Unit received a tip-off about Raj Raiyani and Vijay Od, who were allegedly involved in luring people with promises of high commissions to open bank accounts at the Canara Bank branch in the border area. These accounts' kits were then sent to Dubai. Upon learning that new account kits were being received at the Canara Bank branch, the Cyber Crime Unit monitored the situation and apprehended the suspects.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Raj Raiyani was responsible for sending account kits, including checkbooks, passbooks, and debit cards, to Vijay Parmar in Dubai. Parmar's brother, Mukesh, acted as the intermediary, operating the network. Commissions were reportedly offered in the range of ₹10,000 for savings accounts and ₹50,000 to ₹1.5 lakh for current accounts, with additional commissions for transactions within the accounts.
Arrested Individuals:
- Raj Prakash Raiyani
- Vijay Maganbhai Od
- Mahesh Ramji Bhadidara
- Chadrash Dayalbhai Kakadiya
- Hardik Desai
- Dhani Gowel
Further investigation revealed that Vijay Od had contacted Arun, residing in Chennai, via Telegram about six months ago. Od was responsible for delivering account kits and SIM cards to Arun, either by courier or in person. Arun's brother, Dhani Gowel, had traveled to Surat to collect these kits and was apprehended at a hotel near the railway station.
The police have seized various items from the suspects, including nine mobile phones, one tablet, 16 Canara Bank account kits, 19 bank cards from different banks, SIM cards from various mobile companies, one HDFC Bank passbook, one HDFC Bank checkbook, and six Canara Bank account opening forms. They also confiscated a PAN card and five Aadhaar cards from different individuals.
The Cyber Crime Unit suspects possible involvement of Canara Bank employees, given the large number of Canara Bank kits found. The police are continuing their investigation to determine if there were any internal faults or collusion with bank staff.
Key Points:
- The racket involved renting out bank accounts and sending account kits to Dubai.
- Six arrests made in Tamil Nadu and Surat, with 11 individuals wanted in Dubai.
- The police have seized numerous SIM cards, bank kits, and other documents.
- There are concerns about possible employee involvement at Canara Bank.
DCP Bhavesh Rojiya from the Surat Crime Branch confirmed the details of the operation and stated that investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the racket and any possible connections within the bank.
