The Morbi police have arrested a 32-year-old labourer, Ismail Katiya, in connection with a large-scale cyberfraud money-laundering case involving nearly Rs 93 lakh that was routed through mule bank accounts opened in his name.
According to police sources, Katiya rented out his bank accounts to another man, Divyarajsinh Jadeja, in exchange for a one-time commission of Rs 15,000. The accounts were then used to channel proceeds from cyberfrauds registered across many states.
Investigators said Katiya was taken by Jadeja to multiple bank branches where three bank accounts were opened using his Aadhaar and PAN cards. Along with these personal accounts, a business firm called “JD Enterprise” was also set up in Katiya’s name, and additional accounts were opened for that firm. Jadeja kept the account materials — including cheque books and ATM/debit cards — and obtained Katiya’s signature on blank cheques to maintain control of the accounts.
Police found that between March 25 and May 30, approximately ₹92.88 lakh was credited into these three accounts. The money was then withdrawn via ATM and cheque transactions by Jadeja, effectively laundering the cyberfraud proceeds.
Connecting to Wider Network and Complaints
Preliminary investigations have linked the three accounts to 31 cyberfraud complaints across multiple Indian states, including:
- Maharashtra
- Uttar Pradesh
- Gujarat
- Kerala
- West Bengal
- Rajasthan
- Chhattisgarh
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
Police are continuing to question the accused to identify the ultimate beneficiaries of the fraud proceeds and to trace any wider networks involved in the laundering scheme.
Operation Against Mule Accounts
This arrest is part of a larger enforcement effort — dubbed Operation Mule Hunt — by Morbi district police, under which more than 12 FIRs have been registered and over 35 accused have been arrested for their role in similar mule account networks. So far, authorities have traced suspicious transactions exceeding ₹5 crore from various cyberfraud cases connected to 158 mule bank accounts in the district.