GANDHINAGAR, JUN 13 (IANS): A statewide review meeting chaired by Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi earlier this month set the stage for what has become one of the state’s largest coordinated crackdowns on cybercrime-linked financial networks.
Held through video conference and attended by the then Director General of Police (DGP) K.L.N. Rao, city police commissioners and district police chiefs, the meeting directed law enforcement agencies to intensify action against mule bank accounts used by cybercriminals to receive, transfer and launder proceeds of online frauds.
The operation, named ‘Operation Mule Hunt 2.0’, was launched across Gujarat on June 2 following the review exercise.
Data accessed by IANS shows that between January 16 and June 13, the exercise resulted in 118 FIRs being registered across Gujarat and 238 accused being arrested.
Investigators initiated action against 1,326 mule accounts and identified 5,124 cybercrime-linked acknowledgement numbers across India, of which 540 were linked to Gujarat.
The total amount traced through these accounts stood at Rs 25,628,282,988, or about Rs 2,562.83 crore.
The Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCOE) in Gandhinagar recorded the largest financial exposure during the operation. It registered 11 FIRs, arrested 55 accused, took action against 198 mule accounts and identified 1,117 acknowledgement numbers, including 69 from Gujarat.
The accounts were linked to transactions worth Rs 802.28 crore. Anand district emerged as another major hotspot, with two FIRs, eight arrests, action against 150 mule accounts and identification of 722 acknowledgement numbers, including 75 linked to Gujarat.
The amount traced there stood at Rs 770.38 crore. Patan district registered one FIR but recorded one of the most significant financial trails.
Tuesday, July 28, 2026