AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Crime Branch has busted a multi-state cyber fraud racket after a female professor from Ajmer, Rajasthan, was duped of Rs 7.5 lakh in the name of a “digital arrest” by scammers posing as CBI officers. Hitesh Praveenchandra Dhodiyawala, the alleged mastermind, was arrested from Jahangirpura, Surat, exposing a nationwide scam involving multiple states and transactions worth lakhs.
According to police, the fraud occurred on 30 August 2025, when the professor received a phone call claiming that a SIM card issued in her name had been used to send obscene and sexually harassing messages. She was then contacted via video call by a man impersonating CBI officer Daya Nayak, who warned her that a Supreme Court case was pending against her. The caller threatened “digital arrest” unless she transferred money to clear her name. Terrified, the professor wired Rs 7.5 lakh online, only to later realize she had been scammed.
Ajmer Cyber Crime Police traced the bank account used in the fraud to Hitesh Dhodiyawala, 45, based in Surat. The Vehicle Theft Squad of Surat Crime branch tracked him to Doctor Park Road, Jahangirpura, and arrested him in a late-night operation.
Police investigations revealed Hitesh’s criminal background. Previously a stock market trader, he ran an investment firm, De Hypers Investment Advisors, which collapsed after losses of Rs .5 crore, leaving him heavily in debt. Desperate, he joined an online money-laundering network, connecting with a handler known as “Roki” through Instagram.
Hitesh allegedly met other gang members in Ahmedabad and provided his IndusInd Bank account to route illicit funds, charging a fixed commission in return. On 2 September 2025 alone, Rs 48.78 lakh was reportedly routed through his account, with Hitesh pocketing Rs 62,900. His account was linked to at least seven cybercrime cases across India, including complaints from West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
Police also noted that a Prohibition Act case was already registered against Hitesh at Katargam Police Station.
Hitesh has now been handed over to Ajmer Cyber Crime Police.