Kanpur: Police have uncovered an alleged mule account network used to move and conceal money obtained through cyber fraud. A joint team of Fazalganj police and the cyber cell arrested three suspects accused of opening savings, current and merchant accounts in other people’s names and using them for illegal transactions involving proceeds of cybercrime. Police said 29 complaints linked to the accused were found on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, following which around ₹23 crore was frozen. Investigators suspect that the network may have handled illegal transactions worth nearly ₹100 crore over the past two years.
Police arrested Kapil Verma alias Kapil Dev alias Shanty, a resident of Kalyanpur in Fatehpur, along with his alleged associates Abhay Pratap and Rohit Singh alias Rudra, both residents of Saadh. The arrests were made near Dada Nagar Dhaal on Saturday. Preliminary investigation indicates that the three suspects allegedly arranged bank accounts in the names of other people, made them available to cybercriminals and facilitated the transfer of money received through fraudulent transactions.
The investigation has also revealed alleged links extending beyond Uttar Pradesh to Dubai. Police are searching for alleged associates identified as Joker from Lucknow, Jagdish from Kanpur, KP from Agra and Ashish from Unnao. According to police, Shanty and Abhay were allegedly connected with Joker in Lucknow. Joker, in turn, is suspected of having links with Sultan Mirza, who is allegedly based in Dubai and is accused in a cybercrime case involving around ₹3,200 crore. Police are independently verifying the alleged international links and the roles of those named in the investigation.
According to investigators, the suspects allegedly targeted people by offering them commissions or promising benefits under government schemes. They obtained identity documents such as Aadhaar cards and PAN cards along with mobile numbers and allegedly used them to open bank accounts. Investigators said as many as three accounts could be opened using a single identity, which were then allegedly used for transactions involving proceeds of cybercrime.
Police suspect that each account was used to process transactions of around ₹10 lakh. Account holders were allegedly offered commissions of approximately ₹40,000 for savings accounts and up to ₹80,000 for current accounts. The suspects allegedly retained part of the commission and passed a portion to the account holders. This arrangement enabled the network to collect a large number of accounts and allegedly use them for moving funds linked to cyber fraud.
Merchant accounts were also allegedly used extensively. Police said the process of closing such accounts could take at least 10 days. Investigators suspect that the accused exploited this period to conduct multiple transactions before the accounts could be shut down. Police are now examining transaction records to identify the final beneficiaries and trace the movement of funds through different accounts.
The possibility of involvement by individuals within the banking system has added another dimension to the investigation. Police have allegedly obtained audio recordings of conversations involving suspected cybercriminals and officials or employees of various banks. The recordings are said to involve personnel associated with 23 banks, including Bank of India, Canara Bank, DCB Bank, CSB Bank, Punjab National Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, IDFC, Overseas, Ujjivan Finance, Jana Small Finance Bank and Airtel Payments Bank. Police are examining the authenticity of the recordings and verifying the alleged roles of the individuals heard in them.
A substantial quantity of banking and digital transaction-related material was recovered from the arrested suspects. Police seized three laptops, 85 debit and credit cards, four POS machines, 37 SIM cards, 15 cheque books, 18 passbooks, four registers containing financial records, photocopies of two work orders, four stamps and an ink pad.
Investigators are questioning the arrested suspects to establish links between account holders, banking contacts, cybercriminals and alleged operators based overseas. The investigation is focusing on the bank accounts and transactions allegedly used to move cybercrime proceeds through multiple layers. Police believe that further scrutiny of the financial trail could reveal additional members of the alleged network and provide a clearer picture of the larger mule account operation.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
