BAREILLY — The co-director of Narayani Infratech has been arrested for allegedly leasing his company’s bank account to cybercriminals involved in a multi-state fraud that siphoned off Rs 3.2 crore through Business Email Compromise-style schemes. Authorities recovered Rs 1.1 crore from the account, believed to be funds stolen from a scientist in Bareilly, and are investigating network ties to China and Hong Kong.
Complicit Company Used as Money Laundering Hub
Police charged Pradeep Kumar Singh, 50, originally arrested on June 20, with permitting cybercriminals to use Narayani Infratech’s corporate account for illicit transfers, receiving Rs 75,000 upfront for the service. The account was used over June 18–19, with fraud proceeds—including Rs 1.1 crore from a scientist’s account—funnelled to the firm before being withdrawn by the next day, after which authorities stepped in and froze the account.
Investigators seized Singh’s devices and a cryptocurrency wallet, tracing much of the money as being converted into USDT and routed through Hong Kong, indicating an international criminal syndicate with suspected China-based operatives.
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Expanding Network & Ongoing Investigations
The Bareilly cybercell has already arrested nine suspects, including Singh, and continues to monitor farms of mule accounts used across 11 states. Police say additional arrests are expected as all layers of the fraud chain are peeled back.
This case illustrates a growing menace: legitimate corporate accounts misused for laundering cybercrime proceeds. The Odisha scientist’s funds, commandeered by impersonators posing as law enforcement in digital arrest ruses, underscore how social engineering and corporate compliance failures are converging to facilitate high-value fraud.