A single mule account from Sultan Bazar is linked to 496 cyber fraud complaints

Hyderabad: A police investigation into a cyber fraud network has revealed that a single account operating from Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad, was linked to 496 complaints across multiple jurisdictions.

Similarly, in four bank branches in Suryapet District, 298 accounts were linked across multiple jurisdictions in cyber fraud cases.

How was the account tracked down?

The account came to light during ‘Operation Crackdown’, a special operation by the Telangana Police to break the cybercrime network across the state.

The first operation in this series was launched on Wednesday (February 25) across 16 districts/units, specifically targeting mule bank accounts across Telangana.

As many as 137 police teams, comprising 512 officers/personnel, were involved in the coordinated drive. These teams have visited and inspected 137 bank branches and collected KYC details of suspicious mule account holders.

Thousands of mule accounts in Telangana

Data analysis by Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) revealed that during 2025, 4,775 mule accounts were being operated in the state.

As part of Wednesday’s operation, 1,888 suspected mule accounts, opened in 137 bank branches in the state, were checked.

These accounts are linked to 9,431 crime cases across the country, including 782 in Telangana.

The checking and verification of suspected mule accounts are currently underway.

Bank officials’ involvement suspected

Initial verification has shown that many of these branches have multiple mule accounts, in some cases running into hundreds, giving rise to suspicion of collusion of bank staff as well as an organised network of agents, etc.

An illustrative case is the single account operating from Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad, which was found to be linked with 496 complaints across multiple jurisdictions. Cases are being registered wherever required.

Further, it is observed that certain smaller banks, which do not have the technical capacity to operate RTGS (Real-time Gross Settlement) systems, are using the RTGS of national banks for the transfer of funds. There is no proper verification and validation of the persons opening accounts in these banks and this gap is being exploited by cyber criminals.

Mule accounts power cyber frauds

Cyber scammers exploit vulnerable sections, particularly students and daily wage labourers, by offering commissions ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 for opening bank accounts.

These accounts are used to swiftly route stolen money. Within minutes, funds are layered and moved across multiple accounts, making detection and recovery extremely difficult.