Cyber Fraud Gang Associate Arrested in Surat for Financial Crimes
Arrest of Cyber Fraud Associate
Photo: @ians_india/X
Surat, Aug 13: The Cyber Crime Cell in Surat, Gujarat, has apprehended a suspected member of a cyber fraud syndicate based in Jamtara. This individual is accused of managing funds siphoned from victims via mule bank accounts and converting these funds into cash before redistributing them to other gang members.
The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Sitaram Mandal, hails from Bisanpur village in Jharkhand's Giridih district and was arrested at Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad, where he was already incarcerated.
Following his arrest, he was presented in court, and authorities secured a two-day remand for further questioning.
This arrest was part of an investigation triggered by a complaint from a Surat resident whose son lost Rs 5,02,562 after downloading a fraudulent RTO E-Challan APK file sent via WhatsApp.
The incident unfolded on November 20, 2025, when an unknown number sent the malicious APK to the victim's friend, Rakesh Sharma.
After the file was shared in a WhatsApp group, the victim unknowingly downloaded it, leading to unauthorized transactions from his bank account totaling Rs 5,02,562.
Upon realizing the fraud, the complainant promptly contacted the national cybercrime helpline and later reported the incident to the Surat Cyber Crime Cell on December 14, 2025.
A case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2008.
Through a technical investigation, including an analysis of banking transactions, police traced Mandal, who was found in Sabarmati Jail.
Authorities allege that Rs 1,47,954 from the victim's account was used for a credit bill payment facilitated by another suspect, Nishit Nathwani, who had been arrested earlier.
Nathwani reportedly kept a commission of 15 to 20 percent and deposited the remaining cash into Mandal's bank account via a cash deposit machine.
Mandal is accused of taking an additional 5 to 10 percent commission before passing the rest to other members of the Jamtara gang who are currently evading capture.
Investigators discovered that Rs 2.72 lakh linked to this and other cyber fraud cases had been deposited into Mandal's Axis Bank account through CDM transactions between November 21 and December 18, 2025.
His account recorded total credits of Rs 15,87,400 from September 19, 2025, to January 8, 2026. Mandal has a prior criminal history, including an FIR in Giridih district in 2017 for cheating and forgery.
He is also implicated in five cases registered by the Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Police Station in 2026 related to cheating, impersonation, conspiracy, and IT Act violations.
The investigation revealed that the gang utilized malicious APK files that mimicked legitimate applications.
Once victims installed these files, the applications requested administrative permissions, granting access to sensitive information like SMS messages, contacts, and photos.
The gang employed authentic-looking bank names and logos to trick victims into providing their banking and KYC details.
After obtaining access to this information, funds were transferred from victims' accounts to mule accounts or credit cards.
The proceeds were then withdrawn or converted into cash and deposited through CDMs into accounts managed by other gang members, according to investigators.
Prior to Mandal's arrest, five other suspects had already been detained in connection with this case.
The Cyber Crime Cell has advised the public to refrain from downloading APK files from unknown sources, even if they appear to be related to RTO challans, banking, KYC updates, or other familiar services. They also cautioned against clicking on suspicious links received via SMS or email.