Seven individuals from Mysuru, including Azharuddin (32), Shashi Kumar (25), Syed Danish (20), Syed Kashif (31), Mohammed Mudassir (36), Shafi alias Shafiulla (38), and Imtiyaz Pasha (33), have been arrested for their involvement in a bank fraud scheme. These suspects are accused of opening multiple bank accounts using forged documents and participating in cyber fraud.
Azharuddin, who works as a tool sharpener, was in contact with the mastermind behind the scheme, who instructed him to open bank accounts under his and his friends’ names. The mastermind claimed the accounts would be used to process earnings from online video gaming, offering a monthly commission between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000. The suspects claimed they were unaware their bank accounts were being used for illegal transactions related to cyber fraud.
The scam came to light when Mohammed Kashif, a 27-year-old salesman from Adugodi, received a Facebook friend request from a person impersonating his Dubai-based friend. The fraudster sent a fake receipt showing Rs 7.9 lakh being transferred and asked Kashif to assist with the money transfer. The next day, the fraudster claimed he had been detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged ties to the ISI and urgently needed funds to secure his release.
Kashif transferred a total of Rs 1.5 lakh to various bank accounts provided by the fraudster. However, when he later called the number of his supposed friend and spoke normally to him, he became suspicious and realized he had been deceived. He filed a complaint with the police on January 9.
Police investigations revealed that the bank accounts involved in the scam were based in Mysuru and had been linked to 28 previous fraud cases. The authorities arrested Azharuddin on January 17 and the remaining suspects by January 20. The police recovered multiple items during raids, including nine mobile phones, 11 bank passbooks, six cheque books, 31 debit cards, and nine Aadhaar cards. The suspects had opened these accounts four months prior.
