BENGALURU: In a major cybercrime bust, the city Cyber Crime police have arrested four individuals who lured people with promises of money, opened fake companies and bank accounts in their names, and sold them to cybercriminal networks.
Around 357 mule accounts were opened and used in cybercrime offences across India, involving transactions worth several crores of rupees.
The accused have been identified as Lakshmisha N (33), a private bank loan recovery agent and resident of Nagadevanahalli, native of Mandya; Prakash H (43), a private firm employee and resident of Kanakapura Main Road; Sunil Kumar (45), a resident of 7th phase JP Nagar and Puttaswamayya (54), a car driver and resident of Ramanagara district.
Prakash and Kumar were earlier arrested by the North CEN Police in 2024 in connection with cybercrime offences.
According to the police, the accused had two modus operandi. First, they targeted labourers and low-income people, borrowed their documents to open bank accounts, took the debit cards, and paid them Rs 4,000 for opening the accounts. Second, they created fake or shell companies using the names of unsuspecting individuals. After registering the companies, they opened bank accounts in their names. These accounts were then sold to cybercriminal networks, police said.
The police further added that with the arrest of the four accused, around 357 mule accounts created by them have been detected. These accounts were used in cybercrime offences across the country, with transactions involving several crores of rupees. The investigation has revealed that at least 100 related cases have been registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the police said adding in addition to the four arrested, more people including some bank officials have been found in the racket during the investigation. A laptop, mobile phones, and cheques have been seized.