Hyderabad Cybercrime Police Arrest Four in Online Trading Fraud; 20 Mule bank accounts identified
The case came to light following a complaint lodged by a woman on April 4, 2026, stating that unidentified persons had contacted her through WhatsApp and lured her into investing in trading platforms with promises of high returns. She allegedly lost ₹37.40 lakh in the fraud, said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes) M. Srinivas in a release here.
A case was registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and took up an investigation.
Based on the evidence gathered, arrested Maroju Subrahmanya Chari, Gedela Nani and Alamanda Manikanta in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. Panduraju Abhishek was subsequently arrested in Pocharam, Hyderabad, he said.
According to investigators, Abhishek, who was facing financial difficulties, allegedly came into contact with a Chinese national through WhatsApp and agreed to arrange mule bank accounts and SIM cards in return for commissions.
He allegedly recruited the other three accused, offering ₹10,000 for each bank account.
Police said the accounts and SIM cards were used to transfer cybercrime proceeds to other mule accounts allegedly linked to the Chinese national.
Abhishek reportedly received a commission of four per cent of the total transactions and withdrew money through ATMs.
During the operation, police seized nine mobile phones, 10 debit and credit cards, six bank passbooks and eight cheque books from Abhishek.
The investigation has linked the suspected network to approximately 54 cases registered across India, involving suspected fraudulent transactions of around ₹10 crore, police said.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of S. Chaitanya Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Crime Station, Detective Department, Hyderabad, and the supervision of R. G. Siva Maruthi, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime Police Station.
The Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes) said the investigating inspector, Y. Gowru Naidu, and his team had been appreciated for their efforts. Further investigation is underway.
TNT TS
