Tamil Nadu Police arrest 837 in 48-hour cybercrime crackdown

In a major crackdown on cybercrime networks, the Tamil Nadu police arrested 837 people during a 48-hour Statewide drive targeting mule bank account holders, officials said on Sunday.

The special operation, conducted on August 6 and 7, targeted individuals linked to 9,804 complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, involving fraudulent transactions totalling Rs 545.27 crore.

According to a police statement, those arrested were linked to 601 existing FIRs registered in connection with cybercrime cases.

Police also registered 157 new FIRs across the state to curb the misuse and operation of mule bank accounts. Police explained that mule accounts are bank accounts used by cybercriminals to receive, transfer, layer or withdraw illicit funds.

Individuals who share their account details for commissions facilitate such fraudulent transactions, they said. During the operation, police seized 204 mobile phones, 185 SIM cards, four laptops/desktops, a storage device, 114 bank passbooks, 29 cheque books, 73 ATM/debit cards, a credit card, two other electronic devices and Rs 1.02 lakh in cash.

Investigators identified 155 mobile numbers and 58 bank account details for further analysis.