Rajasthan’s ‘Operation Shutterdown’: Police bust ₹3 crore cybercrime racket siphoning funds from government welfare schemes

Massive cybercrime racket uncovered in Rajasthan (Image via Patrika)

The Jhalawar Police in Rajasthan have uncovered a massive cybercrime network operating across multiple states. The network is involved in diverting money from various Central and state government welfare schemes. The operation, code-named “Operation Shutterdown,” exposed how the accused used fake documents and identities to siphon off funds meant for farmers, pensioners, and economically weaker citizens.

Addressing the press on Thursday, 23rd October, Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Budaniya said, “the investigation led to the arrest of 30 individuals, including the mastermind, Ramavatar Saini, from Dausa district.” During the raids, the police seized ₹52 lakh in cash, several luxury vehicles, 35 computers, biometric devices, hundreds of SIM cards, and documents linked to more than 11,000 bank accounts. The total seized assets were valued at over ₹3 crore.

The investigation began on 8th August 2025 after police received a tip-off through a newly launched toll-free number aimed at encouraging citizens to share information about cybercrimes. 

A case was registered immediately, and Constable Ravi Sen was assigned to investigate. His early findings revealed that multiple bank accounts were connected to a single mobile number and that large government transfers were quickly withdrawn as cash. Constable Sumit Kumar soon joined the probe, helping track suspicious financial movements across several districts.

It was discovered that some individuals in remote villages such as Manoharthana and Dangipura were selling their bank accounts and identity documents to other people for small amounts of money. These documents were utilised to make false claims under programs such as the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, social security pensions, and disaster relief. The cheats altered official records to sanction ineligible individuals as beneficiaries.

Ramavatar Saini, the accused ringleader, was reportedly well-acquainted with the technical systems of government schemes. Police found evidence that he and his associates had altered records on online portals such as the PM Kisan database, Disaster Management Information System, and the Land Seeding Verification System. Using this access, they generated fraudulent approvals and diverted treasury funds to unauthorised accounts. The gang took commissions of up to 75% from these illegally obtained amounts before passing a share to their partners.

To tackle the case’s complexity, a 70-member strong police force conducted simultaneous raids across 30 locations in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, covering over 700 kilometres. A special cyber control room was set up at Jhalawar Police Headquarters to monitor the raids in real time and ensure that no digital evidence was destroyed.

Given the scale of the scam, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was then formed. It included senior officers such as DySPs Prem Kumar, Harshraj Singh Khareda, and Manoj Soni. The State Bank of India also assisted the investigation, sending a four-member team led by Chief Manager Om Prakash Sharma to study the money trail and review all linked accounts.

SP Amit Kumar Budaniya praised citizen cooperation for the success of Operation Shutterdown. He said that the breakthrough came only because of public trust and the willingness of people to approach the police. He also assured that the informant’s identity would remain confidential. “This operation shows what can be achieved when citizens and police work together,” Budaniya said, commending his officers for their relentless efforts in exposing one of the state’s biggest welfare scheme frauds to date

Written by OpIndia Staff
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