242 Debit Cards, 58 Phones: How Bengaluru Dropout, Mother Ran Cyber Scam

A 22-year-old college dropout from Bengaluru allegedly built a sophisticated cybercrime operation that moved hundreds of crores through mule bank accounts. The accused, Mohammed Uzaif, a BCom (Bachelor of Commerce) dropout, and his mother, Sabana Abdul Bari, were recently arrested by a special team of Bengaluru police.

During the probe, it was revealed that Uzaif was working for a Dubai-based Indian operator and earned more than Rs 25 lakh annually by managing thousands of bank accounts that were opened illegally in the names of unsuspecting members of the public.

His mother allegedly assisted him in sourcing, maintaining and controlling nearly 4,200 such accounts. According to investigators, they channelled around Rs 24 crore through these accounts, laundering money generated from cyber frauds across the country.

What began as a small operation soon expanded into a large-scale money-muling network with national and international links.

The police also arrested nine people from Delhi who allegedly helped the duo manage accounts, withdraw money using linked debit cards, and courier the cards overseas.

Investigators said the accused collectively handled close to 9,000 mule accounts, with transactions worth Rs 240 crore now frozen.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the network has been linked to at least 864 cybercrime cases reported across India.

The alleged mastermind behind the operation has been identified as Prem Taneja, a Dubai-based Indian bookie who was arrested by Mumbai police in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing case. He is currently on the run.

The magnitude of the operation came to light during searches, with police seizing 242 debit cards, 58 mobile phones, 531 grams of gold jewellery, Rs 4.9 lakh in cash, nine wristwatches, 33 cheque books, 21 passbooks, a digital payment ring, and records related to cryptocurrency transactions.

Police said they first received intelligence inputs in November. During surveillance, it was found that Uzaif and his mother were frequenting government hospitals, especially labour wards, as well as colleges. They allegedly convinced people to open bank accounts in exchange for commissions ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000.

Once the accounts were opened, the duo collected the passbooks, debit cards and cheque books, along with SIM cards registered in the account holders' names. These were then handed over to associates in Delhi, who coordinated further transactions and overseas transfers.

While the duo was arrested on November 29, the other accused were taken into custody on December 17.

The police is now looking into legal ways to arrest the prime accused in the case.

"As of now, the prime accused is in Dubai as per our information. We are moving through legal ways to get him back and see that the case is taken to its logical end. So this is an investment fraud that channels people to use the money; it is channeled through accounts which don't have KYC verification. So that is the loophole that we are trying to look at," Bengaluru Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said.

The other accused were identified as Ankit Kumar Singh (32), a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli; Ajit Kumar Yadav (29) from Rohtas, Bihar; Abhishek Singh Rathore (22) from Churu, Rajasthan; Vishwaraj Singh Shekhawat (28) from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan; Kushal Singh Chauhan (26) from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan; Satyam Kumar Pandey (27) from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand; Akash Jaiswal (29) from Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh; Pradeep Singh Tanwar (30) from Sikar, Rajasthan; Pitambaro Singh (30) from Sikar, Rajasthan; and Ajay Kumar (30) from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.