Five running cyber fraud racket held

Five people have been arrested for allegedly operating an interstate cyber fraud syndicate that used mule bank accounts to transfer money across India and abroad, police said on Sunday.

A mule account is opened in the name of an individual who may or may not be aware that it is being used to launder illicit money.

The case was registered on April 4 at the Cyber Police Station in the Outer North district based on multiple complaints received through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal during a special drive, Operation “Cyber Hawk 4.0”, an official statement said.

Acting on technical inputs, police conducted coordinated raids and apprehended the accused, identified as Rahul (22), Bunty (22), Ankit (19), Salim alias Dhancha (22) and Noore Alam (19), all residents of Narela, it said.

During the investigation, police identified 28 bank accounts linked to the accused and found 43 complaints connected to these accounts involving an approximate amount of Rs 2.31 crore across several states, including Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it said. According to police, the accused allegedly provided mule bank accounts and SIM cards to other members of the syndicate for commissions ranging between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000 per account.

Police said the money was layered and converted into cryptocurrency, mainly USDT, through online platforms and then routed to foreign handlers via encrypted social media applications.

Technical analysis traced one such handler’s IP address to Cambodia, indicating international links. Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the syndicate and track the full money trail, they said.