Two bank employees, techies, students among 208 held in Telangana’s anti-cybercrime drive
Hyderabad, March 10 : Two bank employees, software engineers, seven students and 15 women among 208 accused were arrested by Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau’s (TGCSB) state-wide operation against mule accounts facilitating pan-India cyber frauds, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The ‘Operation Crackdown 1.0’ launched on February 25 resulted in registration of 1549 FIRs, identification of 626 suspects and arrest of 208 accused persons.
The arrested include two lecturers and a government employee working in the Electricity Department.
Shikha Goel, Director, TGCSB, stated that the accused come from diverse professional and social backgrounds, highlighting the widespread nature of cyber-enabled financial crimes.
Those arrested include two bank employees from Bank of Maharashtra and Jubilee Hills Merchant Cooperative Bank, along with software engineers, businessmen, private employees, healthcare workers, students, and daily wage labourers.
Most of those arrested were acting as mule account holders who allowed cyber fraudsters to use their bank accounts in exchange for commissions of up to 5 per cent on each fraudulent transaction routed through their accounts.
The operation was conceptualised and led by the TGCSB, which analysed cyber fraud data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and identified suspicious bank accounts opened in Telangana linked to complaints from different parts of the country.
During this first-ever simultaneous operation, 137 police teams consisting of 512 personnel conducted surprise checks at 137 identified bank branches across Telangana and verified 1,888 suspicious mule bank accounts linked with 9451 cases across India, involving an estimated loss of about Rs 100 crore.
During the operation, police seized 63 mobile phones and 208 bank passbooks and cheque books that were being used to facilitate cyber fraud activities.
The age of the accused ranges from 19 to 45 years, indicating that individuals from various sections of society are being lured or recruited into such illegal activities. Investigators also found that some mule account holders opened online or virtual bank accounts using fake identities, fabricated KYC documents, and proxy mobile numbers, enabling fraudsters to operate anonymously and move money rapidly through multiple accounts.
In Warangal, a mule account holder was found to have used bank accounts belonging to his own family members for routing cyber fraud proceeds. During the course of the investigation, police further identified 52 associates and facilitators who played key roles in supporting the mule account network. Their activities included recruiting individuals to open bank accounts, arranging SIM cards, collecting ATM cards and PIN details, providing access to internet banking credentials, and coordinating cash withdrawals or fund transfers after the fraudulent amounts were credited.
Significantly, two bank employees were arrested by TGCSB HQ Police Station and Komaram Bheem Asifabad Police Station for their suspected role in facilitating irregular account openings and failing to follow proper KYC verification procedures. In 19 bank branches, more than 20 mule accounts were identified, highlighting the need for stricter monitoring and improved KYC verification by the banking sector, she said.