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Police officers said that the group members were educated young men who used their digital skills to defraud locals.
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According to law enforcement, the racket operated illegal internet betting and gaming operations through numerous online platforms and bank accounts.
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Officials commented that the cybercrime group attracted unsuspecting victims by promising them higher ROIs, but always ended up scamming them.
Indian law enforcement officers have busted 12 members of a domestic cybercrime group that ran illegal online gambling operations. According to the Indian police officers, the racket leveraged hundreds of bank accounts to dupe individuals of almost ₹84 crore, which is almost $10 million.
The officers also noted that the gang members constituted well-educated young men who used a “corporate-style setup” to dupe locals.
Indian Law Enforcement Arrests 12 Members of Nationwide Cybercriminal Group
The Navi Mumbai police crime unit noted that the operation was uncovered when the crime unit arrested one of the gang members, a 22-year-old Imran Shaikh, from the central business district of Belapur.
Before this arrest on October 14, the officers had been working on a tip-off that Imran ran an illegal online gambling and gaming operation via numerous online platforms and bank accounts. After interrogating him, the police detained the accused’s associates as well.
Subsequent to some raids in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Dombivli, the police officers recovered a laptop with sophisticated software and tools that were going to be used to con unsuspecting victims. While this group used tools for financial fraud, the global threat landscape also includes highly disruptive ransomware attacks, as seen in the recent Rhysida leak of 2TB from a US manufacturing giant, showing the varied tools and tactics of modern cybercriminals. In addition to the laptop, the officers seized 52 mobile phones, 64 passbooks, seven laptops belonging to the individuals, 99 payment cards, and a Tata Safari SUV, for a total estimated value of ₹18 lakhs.
In addition, the officers found that the group hid their transactions and activities using 886 mule bank accounts. Most of these accounts were created by misusing individuals’ identities.
Officials Comment on the Busting
Sanchin Gunjal, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime unit), commented on the gang’s operation, stating that they lured victims by offering ridiculously higher ROIs (returns on investments). After that, the group will add their victims to multiple group chats and convince them to make investments in online gaming, stocks, or even job opportunities, the officers said.
However, further investigations found that the gang defrauded citizens using three betting websites.
The Mumbai police mentioned that they had received 393 complaints nationwide in recent months on their National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. The agency noted that all these complaints were connected to this online fraud scheme involving exactly ₹83.97 crore.
According to the officers, three of the gang members are college graduates, while seven have passed Class 12. Ajay Landge, the assistant commissioner of Police, said that the group has been living in Maharashtra since June 2025 and ran their scheme in a “corporate-style setup.” This level of organization, while sophisticated for a domestic scam, pales in comparison to the operations of international cyber gangs like the one that recently hit Henry Schein’s TriMed, showing the varying scales of modern cybercrime enterprises.
It’s worth noting that India’s crime branch is tracking the movement of the funds, identifying the various layers of transactions, and evaluating the complete scale and nature of the scheme, with the help of a third-party auditor.
Below are the members of the gang:
- Imran Usmani Minhaj Shaikh, 22
- Rajat Dilip Sharma, 24
- Harishkumar Madanlal Markam, 27,
- Tomeshkumar Mohit Uike, 22,
- Krishna Anshu Amit Vishwas, 22
- Sunil Shravan Devangan
- Abhishek Sanjay Singh, 23
- Hitesh Punaram Devangan, 28
- Lal Babu Rajeshwarram Kumar, 21
- Ankit Ramesh Singh, 23,
- Lal Babu Rajeshwarram Kumar, 21
- Chapra, Bihar, 22
- Arpit Santendrakumar Sonvani, 23
The Navi Mumbai Central Crime Unit’s Senior Police Inspector, Sunil Shinde, stated that this cybercrime scheme is one of the largest organized cyber frauds busted in recent months. This successful operation highlights a growing global crackdown on digital fraud, mirroring efforts by agencies worldwide, such as Nigeria’s DSS, which has emerged as a key defender in its own fight against cybercrime.
