Rs 125 Crore, 110 Bank Accounts: Mumbai Cops Bust Mule Bank Account Racket

An interstate racket that supplied mule bank accounts for cyber fraud carried out under the guise of online gaming, cricket betting, and online casinos has been busted by the Mumbai Police. More than Rs 125 crore was routed through just 17 bank accounts provided by the accused within a span of one to two months, the investigation has revealed.

The police have so far identified 110 such bank accounts, of which 17 have allegedly been linked to 38 cybercrime complaints or offences registered across several states. The investigation has established links between 17 of the 110 identified bank accounts and 38 cybercrime complaints or offences registered in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal, police said.

Three accused, identified as Nikhil Kamalkumar Jaiswani (26), Rahul Shyamlal Paraswani (32), and Jay Bihari Lal Tiryani (26), from Madhya Pradesh, have been arrested in this major operation by the Dongri Police's cyber cell.  Five other suspects have been identified and efforts are underway to trace them, an official said.

During the probe, police found that the accused targeted financially vulnerable people and offered them small amounts of money in exchange for bank accounts opened in their names.

Once the accounts were opened, the accused took possession of the account holders' passbooks, debit cards, cheque books, and SIM cards. These accounts were then used to channel money generated through cyber fraud.

With Inputs from Ruttik Ganakwar