LUCKNOW: The Cyber Crime Police Station in Rae Bareli has registered a case against four individuals, including three alleged members of an inter-state cyber fraud syndicate, for operating mule bank accounts used to channel money obtained through online scams.
Investigation Details
Investigators have found that the gang allegedly lured financially vulnerable individuals into opening bank accounts in exchange for commissions and then used those accounts to receive and transfer fraud proceeds.
The FIR was lodged based on a complaint by Sub-Inspector Prashant Kumar of the Cyber Crime Police Station.
Accused Identified
The accused have been identified as Ramashankar, a resident of Barwa Ghorha Bhuwalpur Sisni village in the Dih police station area of Rae Bareli; Satyendra Kumar Verma of Surat Rural district in Gujarat; Pushpendra Singh of Kanpur Dehat; and Amit Singh of Jhunsi in Prayagraj.
According to police, the case came to light during an examination of suspected mule accounts flagged through the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) portal. During verification, investigators discovered that lakhs of rupees linked to cyber fraud had been routed through a bank account opened in Rae Bareli.
Modus Operandi
During the investigation, police found that Ramashankar was facing financial difficulties and came in contact with Satyendra Verma, an acquaintance who allegedly introduced himself as a chartered accountant. Satyendra reportedly convinced him that large companies looking to save GST would transfer money through a bank account opened in his name and that he would receive a commission on every transaction.
Police said Satyendra later connected Ramashankar with Pushpendra Singh. Acting on their advice, Ramashankar registered a firm named Shivansh Enterprises and opened a current account in the firm's name at a private bank branch in Rae Bareli on March 17.
Investigators said that after the account was opened, Pushpendra asked Ramashankar to come to Charbagh in Lucknow. On April 1, Ramashankar allegedly met Pushpendra and Amit Singh there. The duo reportedly downloaded and activated the bank's internet banking application on his mobile phone and obtained access to the account.
Financial Transactions
Police investigations revealed that between April 2 and April 3, around Rs 3 lakh was deposited into the account. In return, Ramashankar allegedly received only Rs 8,000 as commission while the remaining amount was withdrawn and diverted by members of the syndicate.
Further scrutiny showed that nearly Rs 8 lakh linked to cyber fraud had been routed through multiple accounts associated with the network. Investigators suspect that the account was being used as a mule account to conceal the origin of money generated through online scams.
Broader Network
According to police, Satyendra, Pushpendra, Amit, and their associates are part of a larger cyber fraud network operating across several states. The gang allegedly targets people through investment-related and other online fraud schemes and then transfers the cheated money through multiple bank accounts to evade detection.
Police said the fraud proceeds are subsequently withdrawn through ATMs and other channels before being distributed among members of the syndicate.
Victim's Circumstances
Police believe Ramashankar was trapped by the gang due to his financial condition and was used as an account holder to facilitate the movement of fraudulent funds.
Superintendent of Police, Rae Bareli, Ravi Kumar said the case has been registered at Dih police station and special teams comprising personnel from the Cyber Crime Police Station and local police have been formed to trace and arrest the accused.
SP Ravi Kumar stated: "Investigation of mule accounts received through the NCRB portal revealed transactions involving cyber fraud proceeds worth several lakhs of rupees. A case has been registered and dedicated teams have been deployed to apprehend the accused. They will be arrested soon."
Ongoing Investigation
Police are now examining whether additional bank accounts were used by the syndicate and whether more individuals were involved in facilitating the transfer of cyber fraud proceeds. Further investigation is underway.
