101 held in TGCSB’s six-State sweep; ₹17 crore cyber fraud trail uncovered

A two-week crackdown spanning six southern jurisdictions has led the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) to arrest 101 people whose bank accounts or roles were allegedly linked to an extensive cyber fraud ecosystem that routed roughly ₹17 crore. Those detained range from homemakers and drivers to graduates, businesspersons and private employees, underscoring the breadth of support structures enabling online financial crimes.

Coordinated operation across southern India

The operation began on September 23 and covered Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Puducherry. More than 100 TGCSB personnel were divided into six special teams to execute a coordinated sweep across the region. Among those arrested were 18 women.

According to the Bureau, the exercise revealed the scale and complexity of the infrastructure underpinning cyber fraud. Of the 101 people arrested, 19 were identified as agents and 81 as mule account holders. Investigators found that bank accounts were being procured through agents and intermediaries and then used to receive, move and withdraw the proceeds of fraud through ATM withdrawals, bulk transfers and overseas-linked transactions.

TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said account holders and intermediaries were paid commissions of up to 5% of the money routed through them.

How the networks operated

Investigators said the networks relied on agents to recruit or acquire accounts from willing or unsuspecting individuals. These accounts were then deployed to receive funds from a range of cybercrimes and to layer and move the money quickly through cash withdrawals and bank transfers, including those linked to overseas activity. The use of multiple mule accounts and intermediaries, authorities noted, was intended to obscure the money trail and frustrate detection.

Who was arrested: age, occupation and education

The TGCSB said the arrests cut across social and professional categories, with about 82% of the accused aged between 20 and 50, and 17% over 50. Businessmen and self-employed individuals formed the largest occupational group at 23%, followed by private employees at 13%, homemakers at 10%, drivers and operators at 7%, and those in sales and marketing at 5%.

Educational backgrounds were similarly varied. About 26% had studied up to Intermediate level, 24% were graduates, 16% had secondary education and 11% were uneducated. Others included diploma and ITI holders, postgraduates and people with professional qualifications such as B.Tech and Nursing.

Dozens of crime links for some suspects

The Bureau said several individuals identified during the operation were linked to dozens of cybercrime cases registered across the country. Those detained include an employee of Tata Capital who allegedly facilitated mule accounts for commission; an ex-serviceman linked to six cases; and a person with a Diploma in Film Technology who was connected to 26 cases.

In another instance, a businessman with an M.Com qualification was linked to 34 cybercrime complaints. A Flipkart employee whose bank account was allegedly made available for fraudulent transactions was connected to 50 cases. Investigators also detected trust accounts opened in the names of NGOs that were allegedly used to receive and transfer cybercrime proceeds, with links to 60 cases across India.

Case tally and geographic spread

The arrests relate to 51 cases registered across the seven TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations. Investigators have so far traced 1,172 crime links across the country, including 206 connected to Telangana. According to the Bureau, 50 of the arrested individuals have more than five crime links each across India.

Kerala accounted for the largest number of arrests at 35, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 22, Karnataka with 17, Tamil Nadu with 14, Telangana with 12 and Puducherry with one.

Next steps in the investigation

The TGCSB said further investigation is underway to identify additional crime links, interstate connections and possible international networks associated with the operation. Authorities indicated that the focus now includes mapping the movement of funds across jurisdictions, establishing the roles of intermediaries and account holders, and pursuing the upstream operators who coordinated the fraud schemes.

Why it matters

The crackdown spotlights the critical role played by mule accounts and intermediaries in enabling cyber fraud at scale. By targeting the recruitment channels and financial conduits that launder stolen money, investigators aim to disrupt the infrastructure that sustains online scams—and to trace the proceeds across state lines and, potentially, international borders.