27 Cheque Books, 17 ATM Cards: Delhi Police Busts Mule Account Racket

The Delhi Police's East District cyber police station has dismantled a well-organised mule account supply network that allegedly arranged bank accounts for cyber fraudsters operating across the country. The police arrested 10 accused and recovered 11 POS machines, 27 cheque books, 17 ATM cards and 12 mobile phones during the investigation.

The case came to light after a woman from Kerala reported a cyber fraud in which she lost Rs 2 lakh. During the investigation, police tracked the money to a Yes Bank account that was found to be a mule account created solely for receiving and transferring proceeds of cybercrime.

According to police, the investigation involved detailed financial trail analysis, scrutiny of banking transactions, mobile phone analysis and field verification. These efforts exposed a larger organised network engaged in procuring and supplying bank accounts to cybercriminals.

The probe revealed that the gang targeted unemployed and financially vulnerable individuals by offering fake job opportunities and monetary incentives. Once persuaded, these individuals opened bank accounts in their own names and handed over ATM cards, cheque books, registered mobile numbers and internet banking credentials to the accused.

The accounts were then supplied to cyber fraudsters across different states to receive money obtained through online scams. The gang allegedly used POS machines, ATM cards, cheque books and mobile phones to transfer and withdraw the funds while attempting to hide the identities of the actual beneficiaries.

During the investigation, the account holder linked to the Kerala fraud disclosed that he had been introduced to the network by one of the accused on the pretext of employment. After learning about the illegal activities, he severed ties with the group and was bound down after appropriate legal action.

The arrested accused have been identified as Vijay Kumar, 31, Pradeep Kumar, 42, Yatender Kumar, 23, Mukesh, 24, Vinesh, 37, Gurbaj Singh, 27, Aman, 27, Suraj Yadav, 24, Gaurav Nahar, 22 and Laxman, 33. They hail from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

All the accused have been produced before the competent court. Police said further investigation is underway to identify other associates, beneficiaries and cyber fraudsters who used the supplied bank accounts.

East District Police has also appealed to citizens not to share, sell or allow the use of their bank accounts, ATM cards or banking credentials, warning that such actions can facilitate cybercrime and attract legal consequences.