Major Indian Investigation Reveals $220M Laundered Through 44 Money Mules

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Surat city police have dismantled an international cybercrime network alleged to have laundered over ₹2,000 crore (approx. US$220 million) obtained through digital fraud, according to Times of India. The Detection of Crime Branch in Surat, Gujarat, arrested four suspects and identified 44 money mule accounts used to funnel illicit funds.

The accounts linked to the network have generated 6,040 complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal from across India. Deputy Commissioner Bhavesh Rojiya is quoted as saying:

We have verified 940 complaints so far and found ₹750 crore (approx. US$80 million) fraud. We believe the total amount will cross ₹2,000 crore.

Police allege the network was run under the cover of Savariya Creations, a textile company in Surat’s Global Textile Market. Two suspects linked to the company, Mukesh Swami and Babulal Kaler, have since been arrested. Officials say the syndicate also used NGOs, fintech companies, credit societies, and shell companies to conceal money flows.

Two directors of the NGO Vidhya Pradhan Dharma Foundation have also been arrested, as well as four others linked to the network from across India, Nepal, and Cambodia. Police have linked the network to Chinese criminal syndicates.

According to police, apps disguised as digital biometric identity document updates, tax returns, and other services were distributed to victims online, allowing hackers to siphon funds from them.