Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Police Uncover Pan-India Cyber Fraud Money Mule Syndicate
Police found a large group using bank accounts to help carry out cyber fraud.
These accounts are called money mule accounts.
Fraudsters reportedly used fake digital arrests, job offers and investment schemes to trick people.
The stolen money was moved through several accounts.
One account handled more than Rs.
23 crore in deposits.
Police connected that account to 25 complaints.
Other accounts in Beed were also linked to suspicious transactions.
Police are searching for the people who helped move the money and the main fraudsters.
They warned people never to lend their bank accounts or share OTPs.
Cyber Police uncovered a pan-India cybercrime syndicate using money mule bank accounts to move stolen funds.
One account received Rs. 23.73 crore between September 2025 and April 2026, with withdrawals made through ATMs, cheques and online channels.
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal linked 25 cybercrime complaints to that account.
Two other Beed accounts recorded deposits of Rs. 2.06 crore and Rs. 9.86 lakh, respectively, and were linked to additional complaints.
Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act and warned against renting out accounts or sharing OTPs.
- Who
- Maharashtra Cyber and local police, acting on a complaint from Beed police, are investigating the alleged syndicate and its field agents.
- What
- Police uncovered a pan-India cyber fraud network that used money mule bank accounts for multi-crore transactions.
- When
- The investigation cited transactions between September 2025 and April 2026, and police action followed official directives dated June 30, 2026.
- Where
- The accounts were operated through local bank branches in Beed, while the alleged network used agents across India.
- Why
- Police are pursuing the network because the accounts allegedly received and rapidly moved money obtained through cyber fraud.
- Largest traced inflow
- Rs. 23.73 crore entered one account between September 2025 and April 2026.
- Complaints linked to largest account
- 25 complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
- Other Beed account
- Rs. 2.06 crore was deposited and Rs. 2.05 crore was recorded as invalid withdrawals; three complaints were linked.
- Second branch account
- Rs. 9.86 lakh was deposited and Rs. 9.22 lakh was withdrawn; three complaints were linked.
- Reported fraud methods
- Digital arrests, fake part-time job offers and fraudulent investment schemes.
- Legal provisions
- Sections 61 and 317 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
- Police warning
- People should not rent out bank accounts or share OTPs, as money mules may face criminal prosecution.