Ahmedabad, June 2: The Gujarat Police are set to initiate ‘Operation Mule Hunt 2.0’ across the state starting Tuesday. This campaign aims to take stringent action against bank accounts used by cybercriminals to receive, transfer, and conceal money obtained through online fraud. These accounts are commonly referred to as ‘mule accounts.’
The decision was made during a state-level review meeting held via video conference on Monday night, chaired by Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi. Senior police officials, including the Director General of Police, participated, while police commissioners and district police chiefs from various cities joined virtually.
According to an official, the meeting directed a ‘surgical strike’ against mule accounts statewide to protect citizens from cyber fraud and dismantle the financial networks of organized cybercrime.
Sources indicate that this was a regular review meeting to assess the progress of ongoing actions against cybercrime and to formulate future strategies.
This new initiative follows the success of ‘Operation Mule Hunt 1.0,’ which was conducted by the Gujarat Police’s Cyber Center of Excellence from December 1 to December 31, 2025.
During the first operation, police uncovered cyber fraud transactions amounting to ₹2,289 crores. They registered 565 FIRs and arrested 638 suspects. The police took action against 913 mule accounts, which were linked to over 4,000 cybercrime cases nationwide.
Police officials state that mule accounts are a crucial link for cyber fraud gangs. These accounts facilitate the movement of fraudulent money across multiple accounts, obscuring its original source and complicating investigations.
Investigative agencies have utilized data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and the Cyber Helpline 1930 to identify suspicious transactions and cybercrime networks.
Under Operation Mule Hunt 2.0, several significant successes have already been achieved this year. In various operations, the Gujarat Police have exposed cyber fraud networks involving ₹53.55 crores and over ₹288 crores. Arrests have been made in cities including Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Anand.
Investigations revealed that organized gangs were extensively using mule accounts to transfer illicit funds earned from online scams.
Officials stated that the primary objective of Operation Mule Hunt 2.0 is to identify, freeze, and completely eliminate such accounts and their associated networks.
Leave a Comment