In a significant breakthrough, the Cyber Crime Police in Puducherry have exposed a massive cyber-fraud syndicate that was allegedly being run from within the premises of an engineering college, effectively transforming the institution into a major hub for cybercriminal activities, as described by investigators.
The multi-crore racket is connected to a fraud amounting to approximately Rs 90 crore. It operated by having college students sell or hand over their bank account details – along with those of friends, classmates, and even members of the public – to organised cybercriminals. These accounts were then used as “mule accounts” to temporarily park illicit funds syphoned from victims across the country. The money was subsequently withdrawn in India, laundered, and converted into cryptocurrency through international networks based in Dubai and China.
The investigation was triggered when two engineering students, Dinesh and Jayapratap, approached the police after discovering that their personal bank accounts had been abruptly frozen by their banks. Upon enquiry, they revealed that they had shared their account details, ATM cards, and login credentials with a fellow student and friend named Harish – who has since emerged as one of the key accused. Harish is alleged to have collected banking details of more than 20 accounts from students and others, which were then handed over to the larger criminal network. According to police findings, at least Rs 7 crore in fraudulent funds passed through these mule accounts before being withdrawn.
So far, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, four of whom are engineering graduates. The arrested persons are:
- Thomas alias Hayagriva
- Harish
- Ganesan
- Govindaraj
- Yashwin
- Rahul
- Ayyappan
During raids, the police recovered Rs 5 lakh in cash, 171 cheque books, 75 ATM/debit cards, 20 mobile phones, several laptops and desktop computers, multiple bank passbooks, credit cards, and a Hyundai Verna car believed to have been purchased with proceeds of the crime.
One of the main accused, Ganesan, is alleged to have played a pivotal role by coordinating directly with cyber-criminals based in China. After funds were withdrawn from the mule accounts in India, Ganesan would reportedly convert the money into cryptocurrency and transfer it abroad through encrypted Telegram channels, earning hefty commissions in the process.
Also Read: Cyber Cell busts multi-state fraud syndicates
Senior Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime), Puducherry, Nithya Radhakrishnan, IPS, described the arrests as a major milestone in disrupting the entire ecosystem of online fraud. “We have been able to apprehend those who were laundering money for cyber-criminals, not merely the account holders. This shows how organised and international these networks have become,” she said.
SSP Nithya Radhakrishnan further cautioned the public, especially youngsters, that sharing bank account details, ATM cards, or net-banking credentials – even with close friends – can lead to severe legal repercussions and irreversible financial damage.
Reiterating their advisory, the Puducherry Police have once again urged citizens never to share bank account information, ATM cards, PINs, or online banking passwords with anyone under any circumstances, and never to permit others to operate their accounts on their behalf.
Also Read: Four held in ₹3.37-cr cyber fraud in U’khand
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