Surat cyber fraud: Man arrested for renting bank account linked to ₹7 crore cheating
Synopsis
A rented ICICI Bank account passed through four hands for commissions as small as ₹3,000 became the financial backbone of an investment fraud network that allegedly cheated victims across India of over ₹7 crore. The Surat arrest of Ashwin Gohil exposes the growing 'money mule' pipeline that shields primary fraudsters behind layers of unknowing or complicit account holders.
Key Takeaways
Ashwin Gohil , 28 , of Bhavnagar district , was arrested by the Surat Cyber Crime Cell for allegedly providing a bank account used in investment fraud.
Transactions worth ₹2,72,97,899.50 were routed through the ICICI Bank current account in question.
The NCRP flagged 37 complaints from multiple states linked to the account, involving alleged fraud of ₹7.01 crore .
Victims were lured via WhatsApp groups with promises of returns up to 390% on a scheme called 'Brp Fund 100 Day Wealth Leap Program' .
The account changed hands through a four-person chain, with commissions ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹26,000 at each stage.
Three other accused — Satyajit Manjariya , Pankajkumar Ramani , and Vivek Beldiya — were previously arrested; the primary accused remains absconding.
The Surat Cyber Crime Cell has arrested Ashwin Gohil, 28, a resident of Vav in Bhavnagar district, for allegedly providing a bank account used in two online investment fraud cases. Police found transactions worth ₹2.72 crore routed through the account, with 37 complaints from multiple states linked to it on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), pointing to alleged fraud totalling ₹7.01 crore.
How the Fraud Operated
In the first case, fraudsters allegedly added the victim's son to a WhatsApp group named 'Brp Fund104 - Grow Together' and lured him to a fake website, brp5.com, which displayed fabricated investment profits. The victim was induced to transfer ₹5.99 lakh to various bank accounts, according to police.
In the second case, a similar tactic was deployed through a group named 'BRP Fund-Grow Together-008', directing the victim to another fraudulent site, app.toloyyi.com. Police said ₹19.60 lakh was transferred across multiple accounts in this instance. Both cases involved promises of returns of up to 390 per cent on share market investments and a scheme named 'Brp Fund 100 Day Wealth Leap Program'.
The Bank Account Chain
According to police, Gohil allegedly received an ICICI Bank current account from a previously arrested accused, Satyajit Manjariya, 28, of Ahmedabad, in exchange for a commission. Gohil then reportedly passed the account to Pankajkumar Ramani, 39, of Surat, for ₹3,000. Ramani allegedly handed it further to Vivek Beldiya, 30, also of Surat, for ₹5,000, who then provided it to an absconding accused for ₹26,000 for use in the fraud.
This layered chain of account transfers — each link paid a small commission — is a pattern investigators say is increasingly common in cyber fraud networks, designed to distance the primary fraudsters from traceable financial activity.
Legal Sections Invoked
Separate cases were registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5), as well as Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008. The three previously arrested accused — Manjariya, Ramani, and Beldiya — were apprehended during earlier stages of the investigation.
Police Warning to the Public
The Surat Cyber Crime Cell has cautioned citizens against lending or selling their bank accounts to others in exchange for commissions. Police warned that such accounts are frequently exploited for cyber fraud, and that account holders can face serious legal consequences for transactions conducted through them — even if they claim ignorance of the end use.
As cyber fraud networks continue to exploit money-muling through rented bank accounts, investigators say the NCRP database is proving a vital tool in connecting dots across state boundaries. The absconding accused in this case remain at large.
Point of View
Traded up a chain for small commissions, insulating the masterminds from direct financial exposure. Each link in the chain can claim ignorance, making prosecution at the top end difficult. The fact that a single account generated 37 cross-state complaints underlines how the NCRP database, when actively queried, can be a powerful aggregation tool — yet the primary accused is still absconding. Until penalties for account-renting are made swift and exemplary, money-muling will remain the path of least resistance for organised fraud networks.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was arrested in the Surat cyber fraud bank account case?
Ashwin Gohil, a 28-year-old from Vav in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, was arrested by the Surat Cyber Crime Cell for allegedly providing a bank account used in two online investment fraud cases. Three other accused — Satyajit Manjariya, Pankajkumar Ramani, and Vivek Beldiya — had been arrested earlier.
What is the 'Brp Fund 100 Day Wealth Leap Program' scam?
It is an alleged online investment fraud in which victims were added to WhatsApp groups and directed to fake websites displaying fabricated profits, with promises of returns up to 390% on share market investments. The scheme was used to induce victims to transfer money to multiple bank accounts controlled by fraudsters.
How much money was transacted through the fraudulent bank account?
Transactions totalling ₹2,72,97,899.50 were carried out through the ICICI Bank current account at the centre of the case. A check on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal revealed 37 complaints from different states, with alleged fraud totalling ₹7.01 crore linked to the account.
How did the bank account change hands in this case?
Ashwin Gohil allegedly received the ICICI Bank current account from Satyajit Manjariya in exchange for a commission, then sold it to Pankajkumar Ramani for ₹3,000. Ramani passed it to Vivek Beldiya for ₹5,000, who then provided it to the absconding primary accused for ₹26,000 for use in the fraud.
What are the risks of lending your bank account to someone for a commission?
Police have warned that bank account holders who rent or sell their accounts can face serious legal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008, for any transactions conducted through them — even if the holder claims they were unaware of the end use. Accounts linked to cyber fraud are flagged on the NCRP, making them traceable across states.
