Jaipur: Documents of workers employed at resorts and restaurants in Rajasthan were allegedly used to open mule bank accounts and merchant payment channels through which a syndicate routed proceeds of cybercrime and illegal betting, police said Friday.Prashant Kiran (DCP, west) said that the accused Vikas Dhaka, a resident of Basni village in Sikar district, was arrested from a flat in Vaishali Nagar. He had arrived in Jaipur around 20 days earlier to expand the operation by setting up another chain of mule accounts and merchant networks.Investigators allege that Dhaka and his associates targeted workers around Jaisalmer and Sikar, offering them money in exchange for their identity documents and KYC details. These were allegedly used to open current and savings accounts in private banks and payment banks, besides obtaining merchant QR codes through Airtel Payments Bank. The accounts and QR codes were then sold to cybercriminals and illegal online betting platforms for commissions.The accounts allegedly served as collection points for money generated through online fraud and betting. Rather than allowing the funds to remain in the accounts, the syndicate converted them into USDT, a cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar. Police suspect the proceeds were liquidated through hawala and cryptocurrency networks in Dubai before being brought back into the Indian market as legitimate funds.Police seized nine mobile phones, eight Fino Payments Bank debit card kits and Google Pay scanner rolls. Investigators are examining the devices for cryptocurrency wallets, digital keys, Telegram conversations and active bank accounts that could expose other members of the network.Police are now tracing the agents who procured the identity documents, operators of the mule accounts, hawala intermediaries and overseas contacts. The investigation is continuing.The money was converted into cryptocurrency and allegedly moved through hawala networks linked to Dubai.Kiran said police have arrested the alleged kingpin, identifying transactions worth around Rs 24 crore over two years. “The racket had links across several districts and involved agents, bank accounts, cryptocurrency wallets and overseas operators.”
