Chinese gangs exploit Surat in massive bank fraud

Surat, Gujarat — The glittering facade of Surat, long synonymous with its thriving diamond and textile industries, is now marred by a darker, more insidious reality: the city has emerged as an alarming nexus for international cyber fraud mafias.

In a shocking revelation, Surat Police has unveiled a colossal cyber racket, exposing transactions exceeding ₹2600 crore across 2007 bank accounts, with a staggering 70% – or 1,405 accounts – originating from Surat itself. This disturbing trend, fueled by foreign cybercriminals exploiting unsuspecting or complicit locals, has prompted the Surat Police to declare a no-holds-barred war, vowing to forge a robust Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in collaboration with banks to choke off this illicit financial pipeline.

“This is not just about financial loss; it’s about safeguarding the integrity of our financial system and protecting our citizens from becoming unwitting tools in global criminal enterprises,” asserted Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot in an exclusive interview. “We are seeing a disturbing pattern where individuals, often uneducated laborers, are being lured or coerced into providing their bank accounts, making Surat a fertile ground for these international gangs.”

The investigation has peeled back layers of a sophisticated network, revealing that some account holders knowingly provided their bank details for a commission, while others had accounts opened in their names without their knowledge, later to be used for siphoning off ill-gotten gains. The modus operandi points directly to the involvement of nefarious Chinese gangs operating from distant shores like Dubai, Cuba, Thailand, Singapore, Pakistan, and Myanmar.

Surat’s unique demographic, with a large influx of migrant workers seeking employment, has unfortunately made it a prime target. “Many of our laborers are not fully aware of the implications of sharing their bank details,” explained Commissioner Gehlot. “Cyber mafias exploit this vulnerability, offering ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 for account access, and in some cases, people are even ‘renting’ out their bank accounts for a steady income, oblivious to the immense criminal activity they are facilitating.”

The scale of the problem is staggering. In the last nine months alone, Surat Police has busted four major international cyber fraud cases, involving transactions ranging from ₹100 crore to an astonishing ₹2050 crore.

One such case, busted in October 2024, involved Milan Darji and his associates, who operated a racket for a Dubai-based Chinese gang. Police uncovered 1039 bank accounts facilitating over ₹200 crore in fraud, with 1898 complaints registered against them on the government’s National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCCR).

November 2024 saw another significant breakthrough when Surat Cyber Cell arrested Naresh Dhaduk and his gang, unearthing 611 bank accounts, 477 of which were linked to NCCR complaints. A total of ₹222 crore was transacted through these accounts, with operations steered from Dubai.

Perhaps the most significant blow came in June 2025, when Udhna police dismantled Gujarat’s largest cyber fraud racket to date, involving ₹2050 crore. Accused Kirat Jadwani and his associates were found opening current bank accounts for a person named Rich Pay, based in Cuba, to convert cyber fraud proceeds into USDT (Tether cryptocurrency). These accounts were procured for commissions ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹7 lakh. A staggering 265 NCCR complaints are registered against the 164 current accounts used in this scheme.

More recently, the Surat Crime Branch apprehended three members of the Bishnoi gang, who had specifically come to Surat to open bank accounts for a Chinese nexus operating from Myanmar and Pakistan. Investigations revealed 193 bank accounts involved in over ₹100 crore of cyber fraud, with 508 complaints registered on the NCCR portal.

The sheer volume of transactions in some individual accounts has raised serious questions about bank oversight. In one recent case, a single bank account saw ₹72 crore in transactions without immediate red flags from the bank. “When such large transactions occur, and banks don’t raise an alarm, it’s a matter of grave concern,” stated Commissioner Gehlot. He has instructed senior bank officials to immediately report suspicious activity and establish robust tracking systems for account openings and usage.

“We are constantly in touch with bank officials and employees,” Commissioner Gehlot affirmed. “The way this entire incident has unfolded, we are absolutely committed to halting cyber fraud. We are going to establish a comprehensive SOP with the banks to closely monitor bank account tracking systems and suspicious transactions. Furthermore, we are actively collaborating with central agencies to apprehend all the masterminds operating from abroad.”