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In 1 of Gujarat’s largest crackdowns connected cybercrime-linked fiscal networks, the State constabulary person uncovered cyber fraud worthy ₹2,289 crore and taken enactment against 913 mule slope accounts during a peculiar Statewide cognition aimed astatine dismantling the fiscal infrastructure utilized by cybercriminals.
The crackdown, titled Operation Mule Hunt 1.0, led to the registration of 565 FIRs and the apprehension of 638 accused persons, according to details shared by the Gujarat authorities connected Monday (June 1, 2026).
The thrust was conducted by the Gujarat Police and the Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCOE) nether the supervision of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi arsenic portion of the State government’s broader effort to combat cybercrime, officials said.
A mule relationship is simply a slope relationship utilized to receive, transportation oregon launder wealth obtained done online fraud. Such accounts are often operated by individuals who knowingly oregon unknowingly let cybercriminals to way illicit funds done their accounts, making transactions hard to trace.
The constabulary identified 4,052 cybercrime cases linked to mule accounts crossed the country, including 491 cases originating from Gujarat. Investigators analysed quality inputs received from the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the Coordination Portal and the 1930 cybercrime helpline to hint the network.
The cognition progressive constabulary commissionerates, scope offices, section transgression subdivision units and cyber constabulary stations crossed the State. Nodal officers were appointed successful each district, portion dedicated enactment teams were created to analyse complaints and coordinate with fiscal institutions. Banks were directed to stock accusation successful existent clip to facilitate investigations.
Officials said the crackdown resulted successful measurable disruptions to the question of fraud proceeds done the banking system.
Cheque withdrawals linked to suspicious transactions declined by 75%, portion the monthly worth of cheque withdrawals dropped from ₹126 crore to ₹25 crore, representing a simplification of astir 80%.
The constabulary besides reported a 30% diminution successful first-layer mule accounts—the accounts that initially person wealth from victims—between August and December 2025. ATM withdrawals associated with specified activities fell by 66% during the play from September to December 2025.
The cognition comes arsenic instrumentality enforcement agencies crossed the state question to tackle a surge successful cyber fraud cases involving concern scams, integer apprehension frauds, impersonation rackets and online fiscal crimes, they said.
Similar efforts person been undertaken elsewhere successful the country, including the Hyderabad Police’s Operation Octopus, nether Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar, which gained nationalist attraction and prompted discussions among the Union Finance Ministry, the RBI and different stakeholders with constabulary connected tackling mule accounts and cyber fraud.
“The cognition is portion of a broader nationalist propulsion connected integer security. Internet users successful India person grown from 250 cardinal to implicit 1 cardinal successful the past decade, with the BharatNet programme connecting much than 2 lakh gram panchayats. That standard of connectivity has expanded the onslaught aboveground for cybercriminals, making coordinated enforcement operations specified arsenic the Mule Hunt an progressively regular diagnostic of policing successful the country,” officials said.
In a parallel development, the Reserve Bank of India has introduced an artificial intelligence-based risk-scoring model to place and show mule accounts. The system, being implemented done the Indian Digital Payment Intelligence Corporation (IDPIC), volition classify transactions arsenic low, mean oregon precocious risk, enabling banks to instrumentality preventive enactment against suspicious accounts.
Under the initiative, IDPIC has been designated arsenic the nodal bureau for accusation sharing among banks. Authorities person besides created a cardinal registry, MuleHunter.ai, to facilitate the speech of information connected suspected mule accounts.
The Gujarat authorities said the cognition aligns with the Centre’s broader propulsion to fortify cybersecurity and support the rapidly expanding integer economy. India has witnessed a crisp summation successful net penetration and integer payments implicit the past decade, with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions becoming a ascendant mode of payment.
Officials said cybercrime has emerged arsenic a large situation alongside the country’s integer transformation, necessitating person coordination among instrumentality enforcement agencies, banks and exertion platforms to forestall fiscal fraud and support citizens.
