NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested seven men for allegedly facilitating a 3.93-crore rupee cyber fraud involving 149 unauthorised transactions from the bank account of a Delhi-based businessman. Investigators from the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit uncovered a widespread operation that relied on mule bank accounts, cash withdrawals, an overseas money-exchange mobile application, and hawala channels to siphon the stolen funds into cryptocurrency.
Probe Traces 149 Fraudulent Debits to Rajasthan Network
The case was registered on October 5 following a complaint by 28-year-old Prince Bansal, who deals in non-banking financial company and loan-related transactions. Bansal reported that around 11 am that day, 149 unauthorised transactions took place without his knowledge or consent, wiping out 3.93 crore rupees from his bank account. Authorities managed to place a lien on 1.78 crore rupees through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal before an e-FIR was formally lodged.
A dedicated team formed to follow the money trail identified suspected account holders and facilitators, leading to a seven-day field operation across Rajasthan. During the investigation, officers seized 45 cheque books, 25 bank passbooks, 45 ATM cards, and 13 mobile phones used to manage the illicit banking network.
Key Accused Converted Proceeds into USDT via Hawala
Interrogation of the primary suspect, 29-year-old Brij Lal from Phalodi in Rajasthan, revealed that stolen proceeds were systematically laundered through digital and informal channels. Lal held a digital wallet on a foreign money-exchange application and maintained contact with an overseas cyber syndicate through an international phone number.
Lal reportedly collected funds withdrawn from various mule accounts and converted the cash into USDT, a dollar-pegged cryptocurrency, through a hawala operator. Following instructions from the operator, Lal allegedly delivered physical cash to an associate in Khanna, Punjab, a claim that remains under active verification by investigators. His apprehension also assisted authorities in tracing another cyber fraud case involving 95 lakh rupees registered at the IFSO police station.
Six Accomplices Apprehended for Managing Mule Accounts
Six additional suspects, all residents of Rajasthan, were taken into custody for their roles in opening and managing intermediate bank accounts. Piyush Talaniya, 19, of Bikaner, allegedly controlled a second-layer mule account from which 9.50 lakh rupees was withdrawn and handed directly to Lal. Another 19-year-old, Vipin Chanwariya, ran a matching operation alongside Lal, with multiple accounts linked to both him and Talaniya identified in the financial chain.
The remaining suspects provided account infrastructure to layer the transfers. Sunil, 23, of Jodhpur, and Rakesh Bahadu, 26, of Bikaner, allegedly held multiple mule accounts tied to the transactions. Vikram, 23, from Phalodi, and Hemant Singh, 23, from Bikaner, allegedly sourced and facilitated bank accounts for Lal. Police are currently analysing the seized documents and mobile devices to establish further links to wider cybercrime operations.
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