Three arrested in Hyderabad for allegedly supplying bank accounts to cybercriminals

Hyderabad: The Task Force (Charminar), along with the local police, busted a gang for allegedly procuring bank accounts from local residents and selling them to cyber fraudsters in return for hefty commissions in Attapur on Thursday.

The arrested persons were identified as Syed Abbas Ullah Hussaini, Mohd Talha Khan and Nawab Mohammed Rahemuddin Khan, all residents of Shahgunj in Hussaini Alam. The absconding suspects are Vijay and Babu Lal, both from Jaipur. Two other alleged associates, Salman of Hussaini Alam and Anna of Mallepally, are also under the scanner.

According to the police, Abbas Ullah Hussaini and Talha Khan allegedly recruited local people to open bank accounts in different banks and handed over the account kits to Vijay and Babu Lal through courier. Each account was reportedly sold for Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000. The kits included passbooks, ATM cards, PINs, account details and SIM cards linked to the accounts.

Officials said the gang had procured 83 mule bank accounts across 22 bank branches in Hyderabad. “An analysis of the accounts through the NCRP found that 11 accounts were linked to 14 cyber fraud transactions reported across the country, including Hyderabad, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Delhi,” an official said.

Police said the 83 accounts were allegedly used to route approximately Rs 10.04 crore obtained through cybercrimes. The money was reportedly withdrawn on the same day it was credited.

The police seized eight bank passbooks and three mobile phones from the suspects.

Cases have been registered at the Attapur and Kalwakurthy police stations.

Victims of cyber fraud can report incidents through helpline 1930 or the portal cybercrime.gov.in.