Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur
Jaipur, Apr 7: In a major breakthrough, the Jaipur Police have unearthed a large-scale cyber fraud racket involving manipulation of company director profiles on the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) portal, with suspected links to Dubai.
Police said the scam targeted over 400 companies across India, with estimated losses potentially reaching Rs 400 crore. Five accused have been arrested so far, while investigations have identified at least 13 individuals involved in the organised network.
According to officials, the fraudsters used forged Aadhaar and PAN cards to generate fake Digital Signature Certificates (DSCs), which were then used to gain unauthorised access to the ICEGATE portal. Once inside, they altered company profiles, changed registered contact details, and transferred export incentive scrips into fraudulent accounts.
These scrips, including benefits under schemes like RoDTEP and RoSCTL, were later encashed, with the proceeds routed through multiple mule bank accounts to avoid detection.
The case came to light following a complaint by Saurabh Bafna, director of a private firm, who reported that scrips worth Rs 17.88 lakh were fraudulently transferred from his account despite no recent login activity.
Special Police Commissioner Om Prakash said the accused followed a systematic modus operandi—first taking control of company accounts, then executing transactions using fake digital credentials.
Police Commissioner Sachin Mittal said digital evidence indicates that key operations, including downloading of fraudulent DSCs and login activity, were carried out from Dubai, while agents in Delhi facilitated the sale of the stolen scrips.
The network reportedly spans multiple locations, including Jodhpur and Pali, with those arrested identified as Sultan Khan, Nand Kishore, Ashok Kumar Bhandari, Pramod Khatri, and Nirmal Soni.
Authorities also found that IP addresses from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Dubai were used during the operation, indicating a widespread and coordinated cybercrime network.
Police said further investigation is underway to track remaining suspects and recover siphoned funds, while warning exporters to strengthen digital security measures to prevent such breaches.