In a major crackdown on organized cyber crime, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police, in coordination with the Commissioner’s Task Force, arrested eight individuals involved in operating a large mule bank account network that facilitated cyber fraud worth over Rs 24 crore. The fraudulent accounts were allegedly used to route illicit proceeds for cyber crime masterminds operating from Rajasthan.
The accused include auto drivers, delivery personnel and a bank executive, who played key roles in opening and supplying bank accounts to cyber fraudsters. Police stated that although transactions amounting to Rs 24 crore were routed through these accounts, only Rs 16 lakh has been traced and frozen so far, while the primary fraud operators remain absconding.
The investigation began in October 2023 after an auto driver, Poojari Jagadish, revealed that he was approached by a Rajasthan-based individual named Kannaiah, who offered Rs 10,000 for each bank account opened. Jagadish, along with associates Gurudas Sunil Kumar and Parlapalli Nikhil, expanded the operation by recruiting friends and relatives to open accounts across multiple banks, including Federal Bank, Karnataka Bank and Karur Vysya Bank.
Once opened, complete account kits—passbooks, ATM cards and cheque books—were dispatched to members of the fraud syndicate in Rajasthan, often via courier services such as Blue Dart. The fraudsters then remotely controlled the accounts to conduct illegal transactions.
Police revealed that approximately Rs 24.1 crore was credited into these mule accounts, while Rs 23.99 crore was debited as part of various cyber fraud activities. Multiple FIRs linked to this network have surfaced across Telangana, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
During the operation, authorities seized 11 passbooks, 14 ATM cards, 12 cheque books, six SIM cards and several mobile phones. Officials have urged the public not to open bank accounts for others or share banking credentials, warning that such actions could lead to serious legal consequences.
Special teams have been formed to track down the absconding masterminds in Rajasthan, with the investigation continuing under the supervision of senior Hyderabad police officials.
