Mumbai Police Arrest Mule Account Operator After Retired I-T Officer Duped of Rs 51 Lakh
Mumbai Police have arrested a mule account operator after a retired income tax officer was allegedly duped of Rs 51 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as senior police officers from Lucknow, officials said.
The victim approached the Cyber Cell of the North Regional Division in Mumbai after realising he had been cheated under the pretext of a fake money laundering investigation.
The arrested suspect has been identified as Mohammed Safwan Abdul Hameed. According to investigators, Hameed allegedly provided bank accounts to the cyber fraud network to facilitate illicit transactions and received a fixed commission for routing the stolen money. A court has remanded him in police custody.
The fraud began when the retired official received a video call from an unidentified individual who claimed to be a senior police officer from Lucknow. The caller alleged that a bank account had been opened in a private bank using the complainant's documents and that transactions worth lakhs of rupees connected to money laundering had taken place through it.
Although the complainant stated that he had never visited Lucknow and held no accounts there, the fraudster insisted the account bore his name. The victim was then contacted via video calls by two other individuals who posed as a police inspector and the director general of police.
The impostors informed the retired officer that a case was registered against him carrying a potential prison term of at least 10 years. They placed him under what they described as "digital arrest" and "house arrest," instructing him to remain available continuously on video calls for interrogation until the inquiry concluded.
The fraudsters warned the victim against discussing the matter with anyone or contacting external parties, threatening immediate arrest by dispatching police to his residence if he failed to comply. They also sent fake government documents to substantiate their claims.
Under the guise of the ongoing verification, the accused instructed the complainant to transfer his bank deposits and savings into specified accounts until the inquiry was finalised. In response to their directions, the victim transferred approximately Rs 51 lakh in multiple instalments.
After the transfers were completed and communication ceased without further questioning, the victim realised he had been scammed and filed a formal complaint. Technical analysis led investigators to identify Hameed, who had received part of the cheated funds into his account before transferring them to the primary fraudsters. Police teams are currently searching for additional suspects named during Hameed's interrogation.
