In a significant operation, the Sion Police have arrested four individuals for allegedly providing rented bank accounts to cyber fraudsters operating from abroad. The accused have been identified as Karthik Vishwanathan (27), Nandakumar Kumaran (27), Laxman Ramamurthy, and Pasupuleti Pratap (43). The arrests were made in Chennai and various locations across Tamil Nadu. While Ramamurthy and Pasupuleti were released after receiving a notice, Vishwanathan and Kumaran were presented in court and remanded to police custody.
According to the Sion Police, the arrested individuals provided three bank accounts, which were subsequently used in multiple cyber fraud cases spanning several states in India. In return, the accused received hefty commissions for their role in the scam. The police were able to track the accused through financial transactions linked to these accounts.
The case came to light when a resident of Sion filed a complaint, alleging that fraudsters impersonating KYC verification agents withdrew ₹1 lakh from his account through 20 separate transactions. Upon investigation, the police traced the stolen funds to a bank account in Chennai, which ultimately led them to the accused individuals.
Further investigation revealed that the bank accounts provided by the suspects were used in over 100 cyber fraud cases across states including Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana. The police are continuing their probe and are on the lookout for more individuals connected to the racket.
