Mumbai News: CBI Arrests Two In ₹3.81 Crore Cyber Fraud, Funds Routed Through 100+ Mule Accounts Nationwide

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two more persons for their alleged involvement in a cybercrime wherein an amount of Rs. 3.81 crores was received in a mule account in a single day, agency officials informed on Sunday.

Those arrested have been identified as Sudhir Palande - mule account holder and Yash Thakur - middleman. Earlier on July 13, CBI had arrested one Shaurya Singh - operator from Nagpur.

The CBI Mumbai, acting on specific source information and after verification had registered a case against a mule account holder; unknown cyber fraudsters; unknown bank officials and unknown others for committing a cybercrime on the allegations that an amount of Rs. 3.81 crores was received in the said mule account in a single day on 02.07.2025 from various cyber victims.

"After receiving credits in the said account, the money was further transferred to more than hundred mule accounts opened pan India in first layer. The amount of cyber fraud was further transferred/ layered to thousands of accounts before reaching to actual cyber fraudsters," said a CBI official.

During the investigation, CBI unearthed the entire conspiracy of opening of said mule account by the bankers and the middlemen without proper KYC norms or customer due diligence or initial risk assessment. The guidelines issued vide the RBI Master circular and certain internal guidelines issued by the bank have been violated.

During the searches, the CBI seized several incriminating documents and digital evidences, mobile phones, iPad, Bank account opening documents, transaction details, KYC documents etc. Identification of individual including middlemen involved in opening of mule account in Mumbai, facilitating arrangements of stay of account holder at Nagpur and transferring of funds in other mule accounts through other agents of Nagpur was done by CBI.

"It is also found that agents of Nagpur and mule account holder have received their commission in crypto currency which was further distributed among the co-conspirators," the official said.