1 week ago
Rajasthan Police Grapple With Surge in Cybercrime Mule Accounts
A mule account is a bank account used to move money from a scam.
Rajasthan police found more than 82,000 such accounts in the first part of 2026.
Some people gave their account details because they were tricked or needed money.
Others knowingly handed over their accounts in exchange for payment.
Police say cybercrime groups use these accounts to hide where stolen money goes.
In Dungarpur, investigators found about 450 accounts connected to an alleged ₹160 crore fraud network.
The investigation reportedly involved account holders, bank employees and operators linked to Dubai and Kuwait.
Police are trying to stop the networks and warn people not to share their banking details.
Rajasthan identified 82,407 mule accounts between January 1 and July 12, 2026.
Police registered 723 cases, arrested 657 people and acted against 11,633 accounts.
A Dungarpur investigation uncovered about 450 accounts linked to alleged fraud worth ₹160 crore.
Poor labourers and students were allegedly recruited through promises of schemes, scholarships, loans and other benefits.
Police say some account holders were misled, while others knowingly leased accounts for money.
- Who
- Rajasthan cyber police, account holders, alleged cyber-fraud networks, and people accused of helping operate mule accounts.
- What
- Police identified tens of thousands of mule accounts used to receive or route money connected to cyber fraud.
- Where
- Across Rajasthan, including Dungarpur and Barmer, with alleged overseas links to Dubai and Kuwait.
- When
- Between January 1 and July 12, 2026; the report also describes ongoing investigations and a special operation.
- Why
- Fraud networks allegedly obtain account details to move stolen money, often recruiting people through deception or payments.
Account holders as victims
Account holders as participants
Why accounts were provided
Account holders as victims
Police said some poor labourers, students and other people were misled by promises of government schemes, PAN cards, scholarships or loans, or handed over details because they needed money.
Account holders as participants
Police also found cases in which people knowingly gave or leased their accounts to fraudsters in exchange for payment.
Responsibility for the fraud
Account holders as victims
Some account holders may not have directly committed cyber fraud and may have been only links in a larger network.
Account holders as participants
Investigators charge some account holders with conspiracy when they willingly provide banking access, while pursuing the operators behind the network.
Key facts
- Mule accounts identified
- 82,407 across Rajasthan between January 1 and July 12, 2026
- Cases registered
- 723
- Arrests
- 657 people
- Accounts targeted for action
- 11,633
- Dungarpur network
- About 450 mule accounts and suspected transactions worth approximately ₹160 crore
- Barmer payments
- Some account holders were allegedly paid ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 for account details and documents
- Reported legal provisions
- Section 66D of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, and Sections 61(2), 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Quotes
DIG Shantanu Kumar
Rajasthan cyber cell Deputy Inspector General
“We have registered 10 FIRs in 2026 for mule accounts. Individuals arrested were presented in court and then released on bail. People are not directly involved in proactively committing cyber fraud in Barmer, but they have given their accounts on lease.”
indianexpress.com
“People who may not be directly involved in committing cyber fraud have willingly handed over their bank accounts to fraudsters in return for money. After they are caught, these people are charged with conspiracy in the crime.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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