Tech analysis led to arrest

Police said the Mali, originally from Bhilwara district in Rajasthan, was residing in Surat, where he managed his brother-in-law’s ice cream shop. However, investigators allege that this was just a front and that he was actively assisting cyber fraudsters.

Acting under the guidance of senior officers, Police Sub-Inspector Amole Kamble and the cyber team, supervised by Senior Police Inspector Kiran Aher, traced Mali using bank KYC details and technical analysis. He was apprehended from Surat last week and subsequently brought to Mumbai for further investigation. “This syndicate would run different types of cyber fraud operations at the same time. The Mali acted as a financial facilitator and digital distributor within the network,” a senior police officer said.

Role in e-challan scam

During interrogation, police found that Mali was a key member of a cyber fraud syndicate. His primary role was to provide bank accounts for routing defrauded money and to distribute fake e-challan APK links to associates based in Rajasthan. “Four individuals working under him in Bhilwara would circulate fake e-challan APK files to thousands of mobile numbers across India. Once downloaded, the malware gave fraudsters remote access to THE victims’ mobile phones, enabling financial theft and data compromise,” said an officer. The gang, police said, earned commission for each malicious APK file successfully circulated.