Hyderabad: Police have apprehended five individuals involved in opening ‘mule’ bank accounts used by cyber fraudsters. Officials seized 65 bank account kits, 14 debit cards, 31 SIM card pouches, and six mobile phones from the accused.
The accused has been identified as Arif Saifi, 40, from Uttarakhand and Hyderabad residents Mohd Abdul Naveed, 30, Sohail Khan, 20, Mohd Dade Khan, 21, and Sohail Khan, 25.
These bank accounts were used to facilitate large-scale financial fraud targeting unsuspecting victims. The investigation revealed that the mastermind, Arif Saifi, a civil foreman in Saudi Arabia, met Zaid from Muradabad, UP, and Sandeep Singh from Punjab in Sharjah in February 2023. They were involved in cryptocurrency transactions and required bank accounts for their activities. Tempted by their offer of Rs 15,000 per account, Saifi collaborated with Fathima Begum from Hyderabad.
With the help of Fathima’s son-in-law, Mohd Abdul Naveed, her son, Sohail Khan, and others, they obtained SIM cards and opened bank accounts in Hyderabad. They then sent the account credentials to Dubai for fraudulent purposes.
The police uncovered a staggering 82 bank accounts linked to this operation, involving fraudulent transactions totaling Rs 5 crore. This led to increase in cybercrime complaints, including nine FIRs filed in Telangana alone.
The affected areas included Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Rachakonda, Karimnagar, and Zaheerabad.
