Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh:Chhindwara Police have arrested six accused involved in a multi-state online fraud network, recovering ₹20,81,382 siphoned from victims’ bank accounts. The operation, executed under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Singh and supervised by cybercrime teams, has exposed a web of fraudulent transactions spread across multiple states.
The arrests were made within three days of the complaint, after police tracked the movement of funds across various bank accounts using the NCRP portal and traced them to suspects in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and other states.
Fraud Modus Operandi: Bank Account Mules and Layered Transactions
Investigations revealed that the accused operated by opening multiple bank accounts or using existing mule accounts to receive funds from victims. These funds were rapidly dispersed across multiple accounts in smaller tranches to avoid detection.
In this case, the police found that the prime suspects had withdrawn funds from over 10 different bank accounts, including those in Axis Bank, Yes Bank, and Bank of Baroda, linked to shell firms and individuals.
The funds were linked to various FIRs registered in different states, with crimes ranging from phishing scams to investment fraud. Accounts were spread across Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.
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Bank Account Trail and Seizures
Police investigations traced fraudulent proceeds to accounts including:
- Shree Ji Furniture (Axis Bank, Indore) – linked to 33 cases, with ₹20,81,382 recovered.
- Sunil S/o Himmat Jadhav (Yes Bank) – connected to 3 cases, with ₹11,15,000 recovered.
- Rushikesh S/o Sanjay Pawar (Bank of Baroda) – linked to 2 cases, with ₹13,48,138 recovered.
The transaction trail included over 30 bank accounts with fraudulent deposits ranging from ₹4,000 to over ₹15 lakh. Police have frozen these accounts and initiated steps to return funds to rightful victims.
Charges and Legal Action
The accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Section 66(D) of the IT Act 2000, covering cheating, identity theft, and cyber fraud.
Police have urged citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the Cybercrime Portal. The investigation is ongoing, with more arrests expected as the financial trail is followed to other states.