Surat: In one of India’s biggest crackdowns on cyber-enabled financial crime, the Gujarat CID Crime’s Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCOE) has dismantled a major mule account network under Operation Mule Hunt 2.0, exposing cyber fraud worth over Rs 802 crore across the country.
🚨 BREAKING: India's biggest cyber crime network, Chamunda Communication, has been BUSTED under Operation Mule Hunt 2.0.
— Cyber fraud worth over ₹161 crore across 22 states exposed.
— Main accused Khalid, Sohail and Afzal arrested from Ahmedabad & Surat.
— 55 accused arrested…— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) July 6, 2026
The latest phase of the operation led to the arrest of four more accused from Ahmedabad and Surat, including a key suspect allegedly behind a fake company named Chamunda Communication, whose bank accounts were used to route money generated through cyber scams. According to investigators, the operation has resulted in 55 arrests over the past month, with the accused linked to 1,117 cybercrime complaints registered across India involving fraud exceeding Rs 802 crore.
Chamunda Communication at the Centre of Rs 161 crore Fraud
Police identified Vishal Sureshbhai Dodiya, a resident of Ahmedabad’s Vastral area, as a key accused in the investigation. According to the Gujarat CID Crime, Dodiya allegedly registered a bogus firm called Chamunda Communication and opened three bank accounts in its name at different banks. Investigators claim these accounts were handed over to organised cyber fraud syndicates, which used them to receive, transfer and layer money obtained through online scams.
Verification through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) revealed that these accounts were linked to 253 cybercrime complaints registered across 22 states and Union Territories, involving fraud worth more than Rs 161 crore.
The cyber fraud network affected victims in multiple states, highlighting the nationwide reach of the racket. According to police data, Maharashtra reported the highest number of complaints (56), followed by Karnataka (28), Gujarat (23), Telangana (20), Uttar Pradesh (20), Rajasthan (18), Tamil Nadu (16), Delhi (14), West Bengal (13), Kerala (8), Andhra Pradesh (7), Assam (5), Punjab (5), Bihar (4), Haryana (3), Jammu & Kashmir (3), Chhattisgarh (2), Madhya Pradesh (2), Odisha (2), Uttarakhand (2), Arunachal Pradesh (1) and Jharkhand (1).
Separate Bank Hacking Probe Leads to More Arrests
As part of the same operation, Gujarat Police also arrested Mohammad Khaliq Ghulam Husain and Shoaib Gulabnabi Rana from Surat in connection with the Bhavnagar District Cooperative Bank hacking case.
Investigators allege that hackers illegally accessed the bank’s servers, database and core banking system, manipulated electronic records, created fake account balances and siphoned off nearly Rs 7.34 crore into multiple bank accounts. Police said the two accused allegedly operated bank accounts used to receive and transfer the stolen money.
Afzal Mansuri Arrested in Another Mule Account Case
The fourth arrest involved Afzal Pir Mohammad Mansuri of Ahmedabad, who was wanted in an earlier mule account investigation. Police said the probe had uncovered 197 bank accounts, of which 60 accounts were linked to 132 cybercrime complaints across India involving fraud worth Rs 53.55 crore.
Investigators allege that Mansuri managed mule bank accounts and facilitated the withdrawal and movement of fraud proceeds after the accounts had been opened by other members of the syndicate. Ten accused in that case had already been arrested before Mansuri’s apprehension.
A mule account is a bank account that is knowingly or unknowingly provided to cybercriminals for receiving, transferring or laundering money obtained through online fraud. Cyber fraudsters typically recruit account holders by offering commissions or easy money. Once access to the account, ATM cards, cheque books, SIM cards or internet banking credentials is handed over, the account becomes a conduit for routing stolen funds through multiple transactions, making it difficult for investigators to trace the original criminals.
Recognising mule accounts as the financial backbone of cybercrime, Gujarat Police launched Operation Mule Hunt to identify these accounts, freeze suspicious transactions and dismantle the networks that facilitate digital fraud.
Operation Mule Hunt 2.0 is a statewide initiative led by the Gujarat Police’s Cyber Centre of Excellence to identify and dismantle financial networks supporting cybercrime. Authorities are analysing intelligence from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP), the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), banking records and digital evidence to trace mule accounts used by organised cybercriminals.
Officials believe that targeting the financial infrastructure of cybercrime rather than merely arresting individual fraudsters is proving to be an effective strategy in reducing online financial fraud across India.
Police have booked the accused under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act. Investigators are continuing to trace additional bank accounts, identify other members of the syndicate and uncover the full extent of the nationwide cyber fraud network.
Authorities have urged citizens not to share their bank account details, ATM cards, cheque books or internet banking credentials with anyone, warning that even allowing an account to be used by another person can make the account holder part of a cybercrime investigation.
