Cyber scam busted in Surat; 2 held in hotel raid, crores routed via crypto and Telegram banking bots

The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) in Surat has busted an international cybercrime racket suspected to have links with China, Pakistan, and Myanmar, following a raid at a hotel near Surat railway station.

Two youths from Jodhpur were arrested and digital evidence recovered points to a multi-crore scam involving cryptocurrency and mule accounts.The accused — Ramswarup Bishnoi and Sagar Bishnoi, both aged 20 — were staying at Janta Inn Hotel in Mahidharpura. Acting on a tip-off, the DCB team detained them from Room 409 and seized eight mobile phones, SIM cards, Aadhaar documents, diaries, and multiple bank account kits, according to TOI report.A preliminary probe found several crores worth of transactions, including large USDT (Tether cryptocurrency) transfers. The duo had reportedly travelled to Surat to purchase bank accounts for fraudulent use in online financial schemes.Police said the devices contained up to 19 email IDs per phone, linked to various banking apps and suspicious transaction histories. Accounts across multiple banks — including SBI, Bank of Maharashtra, City Union Bank, Northeast Small Finance Bank, Federal Bank, and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank — were flagged.

Digital forensics also uncovered involvement with Telegram-based cyber networks, notably a bot group named ‘Bookkeeping Robot Ram’, allegedly used to transmit account credentials to foreign handlers.An FIR has been registered against six accused — five from Jodhpur and one from Surat. The arrested men reportedly came into contact with the main accused, Pramod Bishnoi, in February 2025, who introduced them to crypto trading fraud.Police said Pramod facilitated their link with Sanjay Gabu, a Surat-based operative who allegedly sold them 193 bank accounts. The data — including account kits and MPINs — was then forwarded to Gnan Bishnoi and Shyam Bishnoi in Jodhpur, who uploaded it to the Telegram group run by Chinese handlers.Once funds were deposited into these accounts, cash withdrawals were executed and routed via courier Vishnu Angadiya to Jodhpur. There, it was converted into cryptocurrency via the Binance app and moved offshore.The DCB has also conducted follow-up raids at multiple Surat locations and detained other suspects as the investigation continues into the foreign-controlled cyber laundering network.