Aligarh police have exposed a critical link in a widespread cyber fraud network by arresting three individuals accused of supplying bank accounts used in large-scale online scams across the country. The accused allegedly operated a structured system of creating and selling current accounts to cybercriminals for illegal financial transactions.
According to investigators, the arrested individuals facilitated cyber fraud syndicates by opening firm-based bank accounts through fake or low-income job placements and then selling access to these accounts to fraud networks operating across multiple states.
Fake‑Firm Accounts and Low‑Skilled “Holders”
Officials said the accused used to open small shops in the Delhi-NCR region and register them as firms. They would then recruit unemployed or financially weak individuals and help them open current bank accounts in their names. These account holders were reportedly paid between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000, while the same accounts were later sold to cyber fraud operators for ₹4 to ₹5 lakh each.
During the investigation, details of 252 firm-linked bank accounts were recovered, raising concerns about the scale of the financial infrastructure supporting cybercrime networks. Police believe these accounts were actively used to route money obtained through online scams, including investment fraud, fake trading schemes, and digital payment deception.
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Double‑Money Scam, Digital Traces, and Seizures
The case came to light after a complaint was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station by a local resident who was allegedly duped through a “double money investment” scam on social media. The victim reported transferring over ₹1.04 lakh in multiple transactions after being lured by promises of high returns through an Instagram trading group.
Following technical surveillance and financial tracking, police identified the suspects and conducted coordinated arrests. The accused have been identified as Anis Yadav from Kanpur Dehat, Deepak from Bulandshahr, and Rinku Singh from Hapur district.
During the raid, authorities recovered a significant cache of digital and financial instruments used in facilitating cyber fraud. The seized items include a laptop, 27 keypad mobile phones, 7 smartphones, 46 cheque books, 5 passbooks, 27 rubber stamps, a pen drive, 3 swipe machines, 13 ATM cards, and 55 QR codes.
Inter‑State Financial Backbone and Banking‑System Vulnerabilities
Investigators revealed that the network was highly organized and functioned as a financial backbone for cyber fraudsters operating across multiple states including Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh. At least 13 cybercrime complaints linked to the accused have already been registered on the national cybercrime reporting portal. Police officials stated that the accused were not directly involved in executing online scams but played a crucial role in enabling fraud by providing “mule accounts,” which are often used to layer and transfer illegally obtained money, making it difficult to trace the origin of funds.
The operation highlights how cybercriminal networks increasingly rely on intermediaries who supply bank accounts rather than directly handling digital fraud themselves. This structure helps criminals avoid detection while continuing large-scale financial scams. Authorities said the investigation has revealed possible links to a wider interstate network involved in similar financial fraud activities. Efforts are underway to trace the end-users of these accounts, including individuals who purchased them for laundering illicit money.
Cybercrime experts note that such networks form the backbone of digital fraud ecosystems, where unsuspecting individuals are often used as account holders, while organized gangs operate behind the scenes.
Officials have confirmed that further interrogation of the arrested individuals is ongoing, and more arrests are likely as the investigation expands. Police are also coordinating with financial institutions to identify and freeze additional suspicious accounts linked to the case.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the misuse of banking infrastructure and the urgent need for stricter verification mechanisms in opening and monitoring current accounts used for business purposes.
Authorities have stated that the crackdown on cyber fraud networks will continue, with a focus on dismantling both operational fraudsters and the financial supply chains that enable large-scale digital crimes.
