Jaipur cyber police arrest 5 for stealing crores in govt export scrips via fake digital signatures

Jaipur: Jaipur’s Cyber Police Station has arrested five persons for allegedly stealing government export incentive scrips worth Rs 93 lakh by infiltrating the DGFT-ICEGATE portal using fake digital signature certificates (DSCs).

The scale of the alleged operation is significant. Investigators found that between 13 and 15 unidentified individuals are suspected to have collectively produced approximately 400 fake digital signatures in total. Police estimate that each DSC may have enabled fraud averaging several crores of rupees, putting the potential total loss across all 400 signatures at approximately Rs 400 crore. The wider network of signature creators remains to be fully identified and apprehended.

The fraud was executed through a carefully constructed multi-stage operation. It began with the accused allegedly obtaining forged Aadhaar and PAN cards, which were then used to procure fake DSCs from digital signature authorities. A DSC functions as an electronic identity credential — it verifies who is accessing a government portal or signing an official digital document. By manufacturing fake ones, the accused effectively created master keys to secured government trade portals.

Once the fake DSCs were ready, they were reportedly downloaded in Dubai. Investigators believe the accused used these certificates from Dubai to remotely log into the DGFT-ICEGATE portal — the central government platform through which exporters receive duty credit scrips under the RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) and RoSCTL (Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies) schemes. These scrips are financial rewards that compensate exporters for taxes borne during manufacturing and shipping. Routing the operation through Dubai allowed the accused to mask their physical location and avoid immediate detection.

After gaining unauthorised entry into a victim’s account, the accused allegedly carried out a systematic takeover. They changed the registered email ID and mobile number on the exporter’s DGFT account, cutting off the real owner from any alerts. The company’s director profile was also altered. A fresh ICEGATE ID was then created under the fraudsters’ control, and the duty credit scrips in the genuine exporter’s account were transferred to a mule IEC — a fraudulent Importer-Exporter Code account set up to receive stolen scrips. In the complainant’s case alone, scrips worth approximately Rs 17,88,787 were diverted this way. Across multiple victims, the total confirmed theft stands at Rs 93 lakh, police said.

Once the scrips landed in the mule IEC accounts, they were redeemed for cash. To ensure the money could not be traced back, the proceeds were not used directly. Instead, the funds were cycled through a layered web of multiple mule bank accounts — accounts held in the names of third parties — where money was transferred repeatedly in small amounts across several hops before being finally withdrawn. This layering technique was designed to break the audit trail entirely. Separately, agents operating out of Delhi allegedly handled the sale of scrips and licences that could not be immediately redeemed, providing the gang with an additional cash-out channel and further distance from the original theft.

Five accused have so far been arrested. Sultan Khan, son of Mustakh Khan, resident of B-200, Kabir Nagar, Jodhpur, is alleged to be the one who commissioned the fake DSCs — the person who set the fraud in motion. The four alleged DSC makers are: Nand Kishore, son of Badiri Lal, K-29, Sanjay Gandhi Colony, Pratap Nagar, Jodhpur; Nirmal Soni, son of Mohan Lal Soni, 170, Brahmpuri, Kantalia, Pali; Ashok Kumar Bhandari, son of Chandra Kumar Bhandari, 316/C, Lakshmi Nagar, Jodhpur; and Pramod Khatri, son of Vinod Khatri, K-39, Sanjay Gandhi Colony, Pratap Nagar, Jodhpur.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner Sachin Mittal and the direction of Special Police Commissioner Omprakash, with Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjeev Nain in overall control. The field team — comprising ASI Om Prakash (Cyber Commando), constable Bhoop Singh (11251), and constable Shiv Kumar (11215) — worked under the close supervision of DSP and Cyber SHO Chandra Prakash.