Surat Hawala Shock: Packers & Movers Turned Rs.200 Cr Cyber–Crypto Racket Exposed

Surat | Gujarat — A business operating as ‘Krishna Packers and Movers’ in Dindoli, located in the diamond city of Surat, has reportedly transformed into a center for the circulation of illicit funds rather than legitimate merchandise. The SOG was taken aback upon discovering a hawala racket valued at Rs.200 crore, which had been operating for approximately two years on the first floor of the Green Valley building. The central figure, Pratik Vasava, operating under the facade of packers and movers, is undermining the nation’s financial stability.

A figure known as ‘Big Bro’ residing in Dubai emerged as the true mastermind behind the Surat network. He previously gained direct access to the bank accounts rented in Surat by sending the APK file to the primary suspect, Pratik Vasava. Through the improper use of technology, he funneled crores of rupees from individuals who were deceived under the guise of gaming and the stock market directly into accounts overseen by Pratik Vasava.

Pratik is leasing bank accounts from individuals facing financial difficulties for a mere Rs.25,000.

Prakit Vasava’s approach was notably distinct. He previously rented bank accounts from economically disadvantaged individuals in Surat and nearby rural regions for a mere Rs.25,000. When large sums of money were deposited into these ‘mule accounts’, the funds were initially moved to a savings account, and Pratik would then withdraw the entire amount in cash. The speed of this process was such that the funds would exit the system before the cyber crime team could be notified.

Pratik executed a direct transfer of the digital currency to the wallet of ‘Big Bro’ located in Dubai.

The most surprising development in the investigation emerged when details surfaced about the international transfer of this cash. Prateek Vasava was in communication with Salim, also known as Sameer, from Limbayat. Salim plans to purchase USDT cryptocurrency using this substantial amount of cash. Prateek has made a direct transfer of this digital currency to the wallet of ‘Big Bro’ located in Dubai. The Indian currency was transformed into cryptocurrency and made its way to Dubai via hawala.

The true architect of this scheme, Prateek Vasava, is not just an ordinary suspect, but rather a repeat offender. After serving 90 days in jail for cyber fraud, he quickly returned to his previous criminal activities upon his release. The six offenses recorded against him highlight his inclination towards unlawful behavior. Rather than facing incarceration and seeking rehabilitation, he devised a scheme to expand and modernize the underground hawala trade.

The evidence of Prateek Vasava’s questionable morality is highlighted by the serious allegations against him, which include the grave offense of blackmailing his own friend’s wife. A individual unable to part ways with a friend’s family has defrauded the nation of crores of rupees by exploiting the rented bank accounts of numerous everyday citizens.

The identities of numerous Surat businessmen could potentially come to light.

At this moment, SOG DCP Rajdeepsinh Nakum and his team are disclosing the information regarding all the prominent figures and connections associated with Prateek Vasava. Authorities believe that certain prominent individuals in Surat may have been offering support to Prateek in financial dealings and to evade law enforcement. In the days ahead, expect to see more startling disclosures regarding this hawala racket, with potential implications for several businessmen from Surat.

A criminal organization has expanded its wire fraud activities to Dubai and China.

For the past two years, this group has been engaged in wire fraud operations extending to Dubai and China, all while posing as a packers and movers business. Authorities have taken into custody Prateek Vasava, Deepak Pandey, Rupesh Handge, and Bhushan Patil at the scene, as they were running the operation in India under the direction of a mastermind known as ‘Big Bro’ based in Dubai.

Seventy-one cyber fraud cases have been linked to 14 bank accounts nationwide.

This gang operated with a high level of organization and precision. Individuals would establish bank accounts under the names of financially vulnerable individuals, acquiring their cheque books, ATM cards, and SIM cards for a minimal fee. Recent findings indicate that these 14 confiscated bank accounts are linked to 71 cyber fraud incidents nationwide. This group maintained communication with Chinese gangs via Telegram, and to avoid detection, they converted the proceeds from their cyber fraud into cryptocurrencies such as ‘USDT’ and transferred the funds overseas using hawala methods.

Authorities have confiscated a Honda City vehicle along with seven mobile phones, which include valuable items.

In a recent operation, authorities confiscated items valued at Rs 10.19 lakh from the location, including 7 mobile phones, 2 computers, 7 debit cards, and a Honda City vehicle. The individual in question allegedly fabricated electronic documents and user identities to deceive law enforcement authorities. The local operation was managed by Pratik Vasava, a repeat offender recently released from incarceration, who has returned to his illicit activities and has a history of involvement in cyber crimes.

At present, the Surat police have identified a total of 9 individuals as wanted in this case, including the primary mastermind based in Dubai. Notable names among them include Ganesh alias Prem, Raj Shrivastava, and Salim RTO. With SOG DCP RajdeepSinh Nakum at the helm, the police are delving into the possibility of additional local participants in this scam.Who are the key players involved and who was ensuring their safety? Stricter measures against international cyber mafias are on the horizon.