Kanpur Commissionerate Police have arrested 35 alleged mule account holders in what officials describe as their biggest blow yet against organised cybercrime networks under the ongoing Operation Cy-Vajra. Investigators say the accused made their bank accounts available to cyber fraudsters in exchange for commissions, and that these accounts were used to execute cyber fraud worth approximately ₹30 crore.
What the DCP Confirmed
DCP West S.M. Qasim Abidi said that during the investigation, nearly 100 complaints linked to these accounts were found registered on the NCRP portal, with the total defrauded amount across those complaints reaching approximately ₹30 crore. During questioning, the accused admitted they had handed over their bank accounts to cyber fraudsters, lured by the promise of financial gain and commission.
Abidi said the accused typically gave outside individuals full access to their bank accounts, ATM cards, chequebooks and internet banking credentials for operation. These accounts were primarily used to launder illegal money generated through betting and gaming apps and investment fraud schemes. Police are now working to trace both the forward and backward linkages of the entire network.
Only the First Layer, Police Say
Abidi described those arrested as “first-layer” accounts, stressing that police are still working to identify the masterminds operating behind these accounts and determine which further layers the money was moved through after reaching them. Investigators are also identifying and verifying the individuals who originally took cards and account access from these arrested account holders, with police indicating that arrests of more central figures in the network are expected soon.
Acting on the evidence gathered, the Cyber Cell registered cases and took the accused into custody across ten police station jurisdictions: Shivrajpur, Armapur, Bilhaur, Panki, Sachendi, Araul, Kalyanpur, Rawatpur, Chaubepur and Bithoor. Abidi said sharing one’s bank account details with any unknown individual constitutes a criminal offence, and that no one involved in such activity would be spared.
Part of a Sustained Pattern in Kanpur’s Cyber Cell
This sweep extends a run of mule account enforcement actions Kanpur has carried out through 2026. Earlier this year, police dismantled a network that had opened 25 bank accounts within six months, selling each for roughly ₹7,000, while a separate, larger operation uncovered a syndicate allegedly involving bank officials tied to ₹125 crore in illicit transactions nationwide. Just weeks ago, a Kanpur school-owner couple was found to have been used as mules after being lured with a fake political fund commission, their accounts specifically targeted for their unusually high transaction limits.
Cybersecurity experts note that mule accounts remain one of the most critical components of organised cybercrime, since routing money through multiple intermediary accounts makes financial investigations significantly harder to unravel. Legal experts add that while knowingly allowing one’s account to be used for unlawful transactions can lead to prosecution, an arrest alone does not establish guilt, and every accused remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Police said the investigation continues, with forensic examination of banking records and digital evidence ongoing as officers work to map the network’s full financial infrastructure.
