Bengaluru police arrest 12 in Dubai-linked mule account scam, seize assets worth ₹1 crore
The Bengaluru police have busted a major cyber fraud racket, arresting 12 people accused of using illegally opened ‘mule’ bank accounts to siphon money into online gambling and other illegal activities, officials said on Wednesday.
The Hulimavu police seized 242 debit cards, 58 mobile phones, seven laptops, nine watches, 531 grams of gold ornaments, ₹4.89 lakh in cash, 33 cheque books, 21 passbooks, 48 SIM cards, an online digital payment ring, and a cryptocurrency-related book. The total value of the seized assets is estimated at around ₹1 crore.
The police said transactions worth ₹24 crore have been detected so far, while the total fraud is estimated at around ₹240 crore.
According to the police, the case came to light on November 28, 2025, after officers received credible information that two individuals were opening bank accounts in the names of unsuspecting people and transferring control of these accounts to a Dubai-based handler to facilitate illegal financial transactions linked to gambling applications. A case was registered and an investigation was initiated.
On November 29, the police arrested the primary suspects, Mohammed Huzaif, 23, and Shabana, 49, from JP Nagar 9th Phase. They were produced before a court on November 30 and remanded to police custody for 10 days.
Investigators said Huzaif allegedly ran the operation for two years and led a lavish lifestyle, purchasing high-value watches and expensive jewellery, all of which have been seized.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to their involvement and revealed the modus operandi of the racket. The police said the accused targeted people facing financial distress, offering them small commissions in exchange for their identity documents. Bank accounts were opened in their names and later misused to launder money. The accused also allegedly disclosed the involvement of 10 additional accomplices.
Based on the information gathered, the police conducted a search at the residence of the accused in Anjanapura on December 3 and seized the assets worth around ₹1 crore.
On December 9, 2025, the two accused were again produced before the court, where one was remanded to police custody for another 10 days while the other was sent to judicial custody.
Based on further leads, on December 17, 2025, the Hulimavu police apprehended 10 accomplices from an office operating out of a residential premises in Rajendra Nagar, Delhi. From their possession, the police allegedly seized 36 debit cards, 35 mobile phones, 10 cheque books, six laptops and 12 SIM cards. After producing them before a court in Delhi, the accused were brought to Bengaluru on December 18, the police said.
All 12 accused were subsequently produced before courts in Bengaluru and remanded to judicial custody between December 31, 2025, and January 6, 2026.
The police identified the accused as Ankit Kumar, 32, of Uttar Pradesh, Ajit Kumar, 29, of Bihar, Abhishek Singh, 22, Vishwaraj Singh, 28, Kushal Singh, 26, Pradeep Singh, 30, Pitamber Singh, 30, and Akash Kumar, 30 of Rajasthan, Satya Kumar Pandey, 27, of Jharkhand and Akash Jaiswal, 29, of Uttar Pradesh.
The arrested hail from Bengaluru, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
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