Vadodara: That unassuming paan stall at the street corner may be hiding more than just tobacco and chatter — it might be a front for cybercrime recruitment. During a recent probe into a major cyber fraud case, city police uncovered a surprising trend: gangs scouting for ‘mules’— people whose bank accounts are used to route stolen funds — right outside paan shops.“We were interrogating the accused, natives of Rajkot, who operated multiple bank accounts to transfer money siphoned from victims. These accounts were opened using genuine documents of different people. During the investigation, we learned the gang obtained documents by promising people a fixed monthly payout,” said BN Patel, Cyber Crime police inspector.The accused revealed that they approached potential mules while hanging around paan stalls in Rajkot. “They struck casual conversations with visitors — often those buying paan or cigarettes — and targeted individuals who appeared financially weak. The gang offered them a few thousand rupees to open bank accounts and later took control of them,” Patel told TOI.These accounts were then used to launder stolen money. “Typically, cyber gangs rely on family or friends, but such connections make them easier to trace. Recruiting strangers at public places like paan shops made it harder for police to track the fraud trail,” the police said.Investigators also found that SIM cards were obtained in the names of these mules to carry out fraudulent transactions. Police had arrested three men from Rajkot last month in connection with a Rs 69 lakh cyber fraud case. This new modus operandi surfaced during questioning, prompting police to explore whether other fraud networks are using similar tactics.
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