Hyderabad: The Cyber Security Bureau of Telangana police has arrested two individuals, Mohammed Shoeb Tauqeer and Mahmood Bin Ahmed Bawazir, for their involvement in a Rs 175 crore scam.
A case was registered under Cr. No. 28/2024 under Section 66D of the IT Act and Sections 318(4), 319(2), and 338 of the BNS Act at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Headquarters, Hyderabad, based on a suo moto complaint.
According to K. V. M. Prasad, DSP of the Cyber Security Bureau, the data analysis team detected numerous complaints reported on the NCRP portal against six bank accounts in SBI, Shamsheergunj, Hyderabad. The team focused on this issue, and upon careful verification, it was revealed that large sums of money had been transacted through these accounts within a short period of two months (March and April 2024). The account holders were suspected of being involved in large-scale cyber fraud, with approximately 600 complaints linked to these accounts.
The main fraudster, operating from Dubai, and his five associates were actively involved in luring poor people into opening bank accounts and supplying them for use in cybercrimes and hawala operations on a commission basis. Shoeb played a key role in opening bank accounts and preparing all necessary documents. “After opening the accounts, the signatures of the account holders were obtained on the cheques, which were then kept in the custody of one of the associates. Some of the money was sent to Dubai through cryptocurrency. The associates withdrew the money following the directions of the main fraudster and distributed it to various individuals through his agents,” said the DSP.
Following the main fraudster’s directions, Shoeb and other associates convinced several poor individuals to open six current accounts at the SBI Shamsheergunj branch in February 2024, luring them with commissions. In March and April, significant transactions occurred in these six accounts, totaling approximately Rs 175 crores. The police are actively searching for the remaining individuals involved in the case.
Shoeb is a resident of Masab Tank, and Mahmood Bin Ahmed Bawazir is a resident of Moghalpura.
The public is cautioned not to open a bank account for someone else or engage in suspicious transactions. If you have already opened a mule account, report it to 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in. Be cautious of unsolicited offers to open bank accounts. Verify the identity and credentials of anyone asking you to open an account and regularly monitor your account activity.
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