"Switch and Scam" busted: Ahmedabad police dismantles interstate gang defrauding e-commerce giants

Ahemdabad (Gujarat) [India], February 8 (ANI): The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch intercepted and neutralised an allegedly sophisticated interstate criminal syndicate that specialised in defrauding major e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon, the police officials said on Saturday.
According to the city's crime branch, the gang operated a sophisticated syndicate that successfully infiltrated the supply chain. The group swapped high-value electronics with dummy products to carry out the fraud.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, explaining the gang's tactics, revealed that the masterminds strategically placed associates as delivery boys within courier services across major cities, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Jalore.
Utilising multiple fake user IDs and passwords, the gang would place orders for expensive gadgets. Before a package could reach the "customer," an insider delivery agent would intercept the shipment.
Using specialised tools, the suspects carefully opened the parcels, removed the original high-end electronics, and replaced them with dummy lookalikes. Once the authentic product was secured, the order was officially cancelled or marked for return, allowing the gang to sell the stolen goods on the black market for pure profit, according to the police.
In an operation targeting a sophisticated e-commerce racket, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested five individuals: Ramlal alias Romil Gahlot, Manoj Kumar Mali, Bharat Kumar Sundesha, Vishal Hasmukhbhai Panchal, and Vishal Kanjibhai Bavri.
The police officials further added that two additional suspects, Rishipal Bhati and Vinod, remain at large.
During the crackdown, authorities recovered a wide range of items, including 8 authentic mobile phones, 25 dummy phones, 3 dummy earbuds, 12 dummy gaming processors, a camera lens, and an electric hair dryer.
The Crime Branch also recovered other items, including 8 Authentic Mobile Phones, 25 Dummy Mobile Phones, 03 Dummy Earbuds, 12 Dummy Gaming Processors, 01 Camera Lens, and 01 Electric Hair Dryer.
During interrogation, the police said that the accused confessed to a series of successful heists carried out over the past few months. Their recorded crimes include the fraudulent acquisition of an iPhone 17 Pro Max and three iPhone 16 Pro units in Vadodara in January 2026, the theft of seven mobile phones and 10 Apple Watches in Surat in October 2025, and the theft of two Apple Watches in Jalore in December 2025.
The police have officially invoked Sections 61(2)(a) and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the accused. (ANI)