Surat Police arrest suspects in major cyber fraud and investment scam investigations

Surat Cyber Crime Police have arrested individuals linked to major investment and RTO e-challan fraud schemes as part of ‘Operation Mule Hunt 2.0’.

In one case, police arrested Vivek Beldia in connection with a ₹19.60 lakh investment scam. The perpetrators lured victims through a WhatsApp group and a fraudulent website, promising up to 390 percent returns via the ‘BRP Fund 100 – Day Wealth Leap Program’. Investigations revealed that bank accounts used to facilitate the fraud handled transactions totaling approximately ₹2.73 crore.

In a separate but related crackdown on a Jamtara-linked gang, authorities arrested Sitaram Mandal. Mandal allegedly acted as a ‘mule’, managing stolen funds by converting them into cash through bank accounts and distributing the proceeds to other gang members after taking a commission. This specific operation followed a hack where a victim lost over ₹5 lakh after downloading a malicious APK file sent via WhatsApp.

Police have cautioned the public against downloading unknown APK files or clicking suspicious links related to RTO challans, bank KYC updates, or government schemes.