What began as a routine investigation into a minor ₹10,000 work-from-home freelancing scam has led Delhi Police to uncover a massive nationwide cybercrime operation. Law enforcement authorities have arrested ten individuals—including three women and five banking sector insiders—alleged to have facilitated the movement of over ₹70 crore in illicit funds through 248 fake corporate bank accounts. The syndicate, which operated shell companies and provided full banking kits to cyber fraudsters, has been linked to cases across 19 states and Union Territories, with active connections under probe in Dubai and the United Kingdom.
From a ₹10,000 Job Scam to a Multi-State Shell Network
The crackdown was triggered by a complaint filed by a resident of Baljeet Nagar in Delhi, who reported losing ₹10,000 to an online freelancing job opportunity advertised on social media. Financial intelligence teams tracing the transaction identified that a portion of the stolen funds had been funneled into a current account held under a shell company. Broader forensic analysis of the account’s transactional history exposed a widespread mule account architecture designed to layer and launder cyber fraud proceeds.
Investigators allege the syndicate established dummy enterprises and opened corporate bank accounts under their names before supplying complete, ready-to-use banking kits to cybercrime rings. By routing stolen capital through multiple tiers of corporate accounts, the syndicate effectively obscured the money trail, complicating asset recovery and law enforcement tracking.
Bank Insider Involvement and Overseas Connections
Police have named alleged kingpin Dishant Khanna alongside co-accused Kundan Kumar, Mohit Soni, Yogesh Kumar, Ranjeet Damion Ekka, and Mridul. Significantly, five of the arrested individuals—including three women associated with a partner bank—were employed in or linked to the banking sector. Authorities allege these insiders actively assisted the syndicate by bypassing mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols to approve fraudulent corporate accounts.
During coordinated raids, officers seized 248 complete corporate bank account kits, 38 SIM cards, 22 mobile phones, 28 counterfeit company rubber stamps, 55 debit and credit cards, ₹1 lakh in cash, and a vehicle used by the syndicate. Digital forensics, WhatsApp communication logs, and financial records recovered from the seized devices confirmed direct collusion between the suspects and banking personnel. The investigation also revealed that the syndicate maintained ties with offshore handlers operating out of the United Arab Emirates and the UK. Look Out Circulars (LOCs) have been issued against a secondary India-based operative and an alleged mastermind currently residing in the UAE.
NCCRP Complaints and Industry Expert Warnings
A forensic cross-check across national cybercrime databases revealed that the 248 recovered corporate accounts are directly linked to 156 complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) across 19 states, representing reported losses exceeding ₹20 crore. To date, authorities have frozen approximately ₹56 lakh across various flagged accounts as technical audits continue.
Commenting on the operation, cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh highlighted that organized cyber syndicates increasingly rely on shell companies and compromised banking channels to move illicit funds rapidly. He emphasized that strict KYC verification, proactive monitoring of dormant accounts, and immediate reporting of suspicious transactions by financial institutions remain essential to dismantling multi-layered laundering networks.
