In a major breakthrough, police in Bhopal’s Kolar area have uncovered a gang involved in selling bank accounts to cyber fraudsters. The operation was led by the mastermind, 42-year-old Rahul Srivastava, also known as Bablu, who had dropped out of school after the seventh grade. Rahul worked with his live-in partner to run the illegal operation.
The police recovered a large amount of stolen equipment and funds from the gang, including three card swipe machines, six mobile phones, 34 credit and debit cards, 20 cheques, 24 chequebooks, six passbooks, 77 SIM cards, two diaries, 12 ATM cards, one laptop, two Wi-Fi routers, and a cash sum of Rs 8 lakh.
The gang specifically targeted vulnerable labourers, convincing them to provide their personal documents such as Aadhaar and PAN cards, as well as food and Gumasta licences, under the false pretense of offering help. These documents were then used to open bank accounts, which were sold to cybercriminals across the country.
Rahul Srivastava came to the attention of the authorities when he visited a branch of the Bank of Maharashtra in Kolar on December 19, 2024, intending to close his accounts. Bank officials grew suspicious after noticing that Rs 3 crore had been transacted between his two accounts over the past three months. The bank quickly alerted the police.
When the police questioned Rahul, he admitted to selling the accounts. He revealed that he had sold two accounts—one belonging to him and another to his wife—to a man named Ghanshyam Singrole for Rs 45,000. Ghanshyam, from Raisen district in Madhya Pradesh, had introduced Rahul to Nikita Prajapati and Nitesh Prajapati, a couple living together in Bhopal’s Bagsewaniya area. This couple had been actively involved in fraudulently opening and selling hundreds of accounts by exploiting the personal information of impoverished labourers.
Based on Rahul’s confession, the police arrested the couple, who later admitted to selling over 200 bank accounts. The police filed an FIR and made several arrests, including Rahul, his wife, and the couple involved in the operation. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Malkit Singh confirmed the arrests and said that the investigation is ongoing.
