Delhi Police have arrested a 43-year-old man from Kerala after tracing part of an alleged ₹1.96 lakh cyber fraud to a bank account registered in his name.
The accused, identified as Raju, is a resident of Kozhikode. He was arrested in connection with a case registered at Mayapuri police station in West Delhi.
Police say the investigation began after a woman reported two unauthorised transactions from a joint bank account.
One of those transactions allegedly led investigators directly to Raju’s account.
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Two Transactions Totalled Nearly ₹1.96 Lakh
The woman approached police on June 6 after noticing money had been transferred from her joint bank account without authorisation.
Investigators examined bank statements and transaction information available through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
Police identified two suspicious transfers.
The transactions were worth ₹98,001 and ₹98,002, taking the total alleged loss to ₹1,96,003.
Investigators subsequently found that the first amount of ₹98,001 had been transferred to an account maintained in Raju’s name.
Police have not yet publicly explained how access to the complainant’s bank account was allegedly obtained or what method was used to initiate the unauthorised transactions.
The case therefore remains focused, for now, on tracing the financial trail after the money left the victim’s account.
Accused’s Account Linked to Six Cybercrime Complaints
The investigation widened when police checked the beneficiary account against cybercrime records.
Officials said the account was linked to six cybercrime complaints, including the present case.
That finding raises the possibility that the account may have been used to receive proceeds from more than one fraudulent transaction.
During questioning, Raju allegedly told police that he withdrew the money credited to his account and handed it to an unidentified person.
Police have not disclosed the identity of that person.
Investigators are now trying to determine who instructed Raju to receive or withdraw the money and whether he was part of a wider network.
The allegations against him remain under investigation and have not been proved in court.
Why Beneficiary Accounts Matter in Cyber Fraud
Bank accounts used to receive money from cybercrime victims are often described as mule accounts.
A mule account can belong to a person who knowingly allows criminals to use it in exchange for money.
In other cases, the account holder may have been persuaded to share account access without fully understanding how it would be used.
For investigators, beneficiary accounts are often one of the first concrete links between a victim and the people moving stolen funds.
Cybercriminals typically try to transfer money quickly after it enters the first receiving account.
Funds may be withdrawn in cash, moved to additional bank accounts or passed through several layers to make tracing more difficult.
That is why police increasingly examine beneficiary accounts against the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
If the same account appears in several complaints from different parts of the country, it can help investigators identify a common financial link.
In the present case, Delhi Police say Raju’s account appeared in six complaints.
Police Now Looking for Wider Links
The investigation is continuing to identify the person who allegedly received the withdrawn money and establish whether others were involved.
Police are also expected to examine transaction records, mobile communications and the history of the account to understand how it was being operated.
The case reflects a wider challenge in cybercrime investigations.
The person receiving the victim’s money may not necessarily be the person who contacted or deceived the victim.
Organised fraud networks can divide responsibilities among callers, account providers, cash handlers and coordinators.
This makes following the money trail especially important.
Delhi Police have not yet disclosed whether any portion of the alleged ₹1.96 lakh loss has been recovered or frozen.
They have also not publicly identified the mechanism through which the complainant’s joint account was compromised.
Further investigation is underway.
What this means for you:
If you notice an unauthorised bank transaction, report it to your bank and cyber helpline 1930 immediately. Early reporting can improve the chances of tracing or freezing the money before it moves through multiple accounts.
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