Jaipur: The Rajasthan Police's cybercrime cell on Saturday arrested 17 people for allegedly siphoning off Rs 5.30 crore in a cyber fraud case. An accountant was duped through a fake WhatsApp message impersonating his employer in the city.
Details of the Fraud
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Cyber Crime, Shantanu Kumar Singh, said the complainant, who works as an accountant with Galaxy Mining Pvt Ltd, filed a complaint via the cybercrime helpline 1930 on April 24. He reported receiving instructions from a WhatsApp number posing as the company's chairman to transfer funds to two bank accounts. Acting on the message, he transferred Rs 5.30 crore, officials said.
Investigation and Arrests
Singh said police teams traced the money trail by analyzing multiple bank accounts used in the fraud. The investigation revealed that the funds were routed through several accounts, withdrawn in cash, and partly laundered using cryptocurrency, including USDT, as well as hawala channels.
With support from police units in Kota Rural, Pali, Banswara, Jodhpur City, and Barmer, teams arrested 17 accused, including bank account holders and intermediaries linked to the transactions.
Modus Operandi
Police said the accused opened or arranged bank accounts to receive the fraud amount, after which funds were either withdrawn, transferred further, or converted into cryptocurrency in exchange for commissions. Some acted as middlemen, while others provided bank accounts or facilitated transactions.
Several of those arrested were engaged in low-paying jobs such as salon work, small shops, or daily wage labor, and were lured with commissions ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 50,000. Others allegedly opened accounts in their own or relatives' names and handed over access to the network.
Coordination at Tea Stalls
Investigators said gang members frequently met at tea stalls to coordinate operations, exchange bank details, withdraw cash, and distribute commissions to avoid attracting attention.
Police said further investigation is underway to trace the wider network and identify additional links in the inter-state cyber fraud operation.
