9 Held in Cyberabad for Operating Mule Accounts to Aid Cybercrime Transactions | #cybercrime | #infosec

The accused – Sumit Rathore, Manvendra Singh Rathore, Mohammed Nadeem-ur-Rehman, Md Nayeem-ur-Rahaman, Md Shaffi, S. Bharath, Telugu Mahesh, Abdul Khaled and Jelpti Mahesh – were found to be part of an organized cyber fraud network that laundered illegal proceeds through multiple current accounts.

These accounts, controlled through unauthorized mobile applications and SIM swaps, were used to route large sums of money received through online fraud, scams, and other cybercrimes. Sumit Rathore and Manvendra Singh Rathore were from Rajasthan, while the remaining belonged to Hyderabad.

Explaining the modus operandi of the arrested persons, the police said the group was operating under the instructions of an international cyber handler using the Telegram alias Jack. They were lodging account holders in hotels near Gachibowli, collecting their bank documents, and installing a malicious APK file, which functions only on Samsung mobile phones to remotely operate the accounts.

To carry out these activities, hotels were booked for a week, and their locations were frequently shifted to avoid detection. The agents facilitating these operations were arriving from Rajasthan. The police seized 16 mobile phones, one laptop, two cars and Rs.82,500 from the possession of the arrested persons.

The arrests were made under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2) read with 3(5) BNS and Section 66-D of IT Act 2000-2008. In an advisory, the police cautioned the people not to respond to any suspicious emails, calls claiming to be from support teams of banks or e- commerce platforms. Always verify with official sources or contact the local Cyber Crime police station or dial 1930 for any assistance.

“If you observe any individuals or neighbours making suspicious calls resembling a call centre setup in your neighbourhood, please inform the police personnel at the earliest,” the police added.