A Taiwanese gang that was arrested in Ahmedabad allegedly transferred ₹500 crore abroad in one year through thousands of bank accounts.
A joint operation by the Cyber Crime branch in Delhi and Bengaluru led to the arrest of two Taiwanese nationals, Mu Chi Sang and Chang Hao Yun (also known as Mark), who were key players in the scam. Later, two more members were also arrested.
The gang was active in India, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Maldives, and Dubai.
According to reports, their modus operandi included appointing technical staff in Vadodara, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi and operating the racket through call centres.
As per the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime branch, 450 complaints have been registered against the Taiwanese gang nationwide.
They allegedly defrauded victims of ₹5 crore daily.
The gang had tricked a senior citizen in Ahmedabad by falsely claiming that their mobile phone was involved in illegal activities.
They pressured the victim to transfer ₹79.34 lakh to a bank account under the guise of verification, promising to refund the money after the process was complete.
The investigation revealed a sophisticated modus operandi involving 20 rooted mobile phones connected to routers, which intercepted OTPs from victims’ bank accounts.
Over 120 mobile devices were linked to this setup, with operations spread across Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. The gang was using rented bank accounts in exchange for commissions, provided by locals in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Odisha, eight of whom were arrested during the raids.
According to reports, there are more such gangs who scam people with the same modus operandi. The issue cannot be resolved until the dummy accounts, on rent for ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 per month, continue to exist.
Another practice fuelling the fire of such scams is the issuance of SIM cards under dummy names for mere ₹200-500.