Vadodara: Panchmahal police have arrested three individuals, including a former branch manager of the Panchmahal District Cooperative Bank (PDCB) who was dismissed from service, in connection with an investigation into a mule bank account allegedly used in cyber fraud cases.
Investigation Details
The accused were identified after Shehra police scrutinized suspicious bank accounts on the Samanvaya portal, a platform designed for tracking cybercrime-related transactions. During the investigation, police traced certain accounts operated by Adarsh Shukla and Jishu Mishra, residents of Pandesara.
During questioning, the duo reportedly revealed the involvement of Sapan Parikh, a former branch manager of PDCB.
Role of the Former Bank Manager
Police stated that Parikh facilitated the opening of four bank accounts within a month while serving as a contracted employee of the bank. Investigators found that the accounts were opened without proper verification documents, including rent agreements for the addresses submitted during the account-opening process.
Parikh was subsequently fired by the bank after these irregularities came to light.
Arrests and Further Leads
According to Shehra police inspector H V Sisara, the accounts were later used for cyber fraud, for which a case was registered in Shehra in December 2025. The three accused were arrested and interrogated further, during which they allegedly disclosed the names of two more individuals: Ashok Sen from Surat and Rahul Baria from Dahod.
Police said Sen had previously been arrested for another offense, and authorities are verifying whether he remains in judicial custody. Efforts are underway to trace Baria, Sisara added.
