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National Cyber-Fraud Crackdown Flags 42,000 Mule Accounts in Karnataka and Nets 11 in Nepal-Linked Ring

Police say the syndicates recruit account providers online and quickly route stolen money into cryptocurrency, making recoveries difficult.

Overview

  • India’s Karnataka CID Cyber Command said it arrested 12 alleged masterminds in statewide raids and identified over 42,000 mule bank accounts used to channel online fraud proceeds.
  • Mangaluru Cyber Crime Police arrested 11 Indian operatives tied to a Nepal-based investment scam, seizing devices that revealed 624 bank accounts and one account with transactions topping ₹167 crore.
  • Investigators reported more than 4,580 complaints linked to the 624 accounts and said funds were often converted to USDT and moved abroad, with five additional suspects still at large.
  • The CBI separately arrested an alleged key operative of a Delhi call-centre network accused of cheating US citizens of about ₹7.48 crore since 2023 by impersonating bank and law-enforcement officials.
  • Recent victim reports underscore coercive tactics: Mumbai police arrested two men who provided accounts used in a ₹4.62 crore ‘digital arrest’ case, and Pune police probed a ₹10.7 crore loss after a staged online court hearing with a fake judge.