The Ahmedabad Cybercrime Police have arrested Hiralba Jadeja, wife of former Gujarat MLA Bhura Munja Jadeja, and her accomplice Sachin Mehta for allegedly cheating a man of Rs 31.59 lakh by posing as Motilal Oswal executives.
Investigations have revealed that a 34-year-old gola (ice lolly) seller in Junagadh owned one of the firms, Vitthal Pulse Commodities.
It’s a strong example, if one was needed, of how laymen get involved in scams.
Jadeja, behind the bars for extortion and abduction, reportedly faces five FIRs, according to reports. That also includes charges of money laundering.
A national daily has reported that the case involves a web of shell companies created in the names of people with modest means in Junagadh. The companies were allegedly used by a group in Porbandar to open mule bank accounts. The accounts were used to transact “proceeds of crime” from Ahmedabad and other parts of the country.
According to a statement by Ahmedabad Cybercrime Police, the accused contacted the complainant, a 35-year-old acupressure therapist, on WhatsApp. They added him to a group called ‘Motilal Oswal Invest Club’. Later, they called him on WhatsApp and promised huge returns if he invested in the stock market and Initial Public Offerings (IPOs).
After gaining his trust, they asked him to send money to “invest”. He allegedly sent Rs 31.59 lakh.
During investigation, police found “Rs 50,000 (of the Rs 31.59 lakh) was deposited in an IDBI Bank account and Rs 3.25 lakh in an Axis Bank account, both of which were traced to Hiralba (60), wife of Bhura Munja Jadeja, of Porbandar, and Naitik Mavani, a resident of Mumbai.”
The FIR said the complainant transferred over Rs 31.59 lakh in 12 transactions before realizing it was a fraud.
He then called the cybercrime helpline ‘1930’. Unknown persons were booked under IPC sections for cheating and criminal conspiracy, and under the Information Technology Act.
Although the FIR was filed last year, the Junagadh Police achieved a breakthrough, thanks to another case filed in 2025.
How the lead was found…
The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Junagadh Police, while investigating a case filed in May this year, found several accused, including those in the Ahmedabad case, allegedly formed three shell firms: Arham Commodities, Vitthal Pulse Commodities, and Bharat Enterprise.
The firms were opened in the names of people with modest means. They were used to open 22 accounts across nine banks. The chargesheet was filed in August 2025.
Junagadh SOG found 83 cybercrime complaints against 11 of these bank accounts on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) and Samanvay Portal across 17 states and a Union Territory. The proceeds of crime were allegedly routed through the same bank account in the name of Vitthal Pulse Commodities.
Junagadh Police collected details of all 83 cases and wrote letters to police divisions across the country. Two FIRs had been filed in Ahmedabad – one at the Cybercrime Police station.
The gola connection
Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police, after receiving details from Junagadh Police, reopened their case and called the complainant. They found the owner of Vitthal Pulse Commodities is a 34-year-old man who sells gola (ice lollies) in Junagadh. He was made a witness in the case.
Police Inspector P S Makwana, Investigation Officer of the case, said the witness stated that Sachin Kanakrai Mehta (48) of Junagadh allegedly involved him in the enterprise.
Later, Hiralba Jadeja and Sachin Mehta were arrested from jails in Junagadh and Porbandar. Naitik Mavani, handling the bank accounts, was named as an accused. He remains absconding in cases filed by police in Junagadh, Porbandar, and Ahmedabad.
Both co-accused are named in two other cybercrime cases against Hiralba. One FIR was filed by Porbandar Police on May 15, 2025, and another by Junagadh Range Cybercrime Police on May 30, 2025. Both cases pertain to alleged formation of shell companies to open bank accounts through which proceeds of cybercrime were sent abroad, likely to Dubai, UAE.
Who is Hiralba?
Hiralba and Sachin Mehta, in judicial custody, are back in their respective jails.
Hiralba is referred to as the wife of Bhura Munja Jadeja in the Ahmedabad FIR. Bhura Munja Jadeja was elected from Ranavav-Kutiyana assembly constituency in 1995. After delimitation in the late 1990s, it became Kutiyana assembly constituency.
Bhura Munja Jadeja died in 2016. He was the younger brother of Sarman Munja Jadeja, a strongman from the Mer community. After Sarman was murdered in December 1986, his wife Santokben Jadeja became notorious as the ‘Godmother’.
She was booked in various cases, including murder. She was elected to the Gujarat Assembly from Kutiyana on a Janata Dal ticket (1990-1995). She later moved to Rajkot and died in March 2011.
The October 2024 Ahmedabad case is the fifth recent case in which Hiralba has been named.
Also Read: Porbandar Case Shows Gujarat In The Grip Of Online Gambling Menace https://www.vibesofindia.com/porbandar-case-shows-gujarat-in-the-grip-of-online-gambling-menace/
