Nainital Police investigating Mule Accounts in Several Banks; 43 FIRs registered in just a single day

Nainital Police have launched a major crackdown on cyber fraud after discovering that money stolen from people in different states, including Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, was transferred to local bank accounts and withdrawn through ATMs and cheques. Police suspect that some people provided their bank accounts to fraudsters to receive and withdraw the stolen money. After senior police officers expressed concern over the slow investigation, Nainital Police registered 43 FIRs in a single night, taking the total number of cases to 49.

Money stolen from people in other states was allegedly transferred to bank accounts in Nainital district, Uttarakhand, and then withdrawn through ATMs and other means.

Nainital Police registered 43 cybercrime-related FIRs within approximately 24 hours after Additional Director General of Police (ADG) V. Murugesan expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of action. The district had already registered six cases, taking the total to 49.

The cases were registered across eight police stations:

Police investigations reportedly identified suspicious transactions involving accounts allegedly used to receive or transfer money from cyber fraud. Some accounts were allegedly provided to fraudsters for use in exchange for commissions. The ADG also warned that action could be taken against police station and outpost-level officers found negligent in handling these cases

Investigations revealed that funds traced to multiple out-of-state complaints were routed through suspicious local bank accounts—including 35 accounts linked to 129 complaints at the Pirumadara branch of Punjab & Sind Bank in Ramnagar.

Under a special statewide anti-cybercrime drive, police busted a cyber fraud syndicate in Haldwani’s Laxman Vihar Colony (Mukhani police station), arresting six suspects and detaining two juveniles.

The ADG has also ordered action against negligent police station and outpost level officers. In the Haldwani Kotwali area, suspicious accounts of Canara Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Bank, SBI, and Punjab National Bank are being investigated.

An amount of Rs 3.39 lakh was deposited into a Punjab National Bank account between February 25 and July 27, 2026. The account is in the name of Shadab, a resident of Rajpura Basti. According to the police, the account holder’s address could not be verified.

Police teams mapped physical cash withdrawals in Nainital linked directly to out-of-state cyber fraud cases:

• The Chhattisgarh Connection: A cyber fraud case registered in Chhattisgarh involving ₹26.78 lakh had a portion of its funds tracked to a bank account in Mukhani, Haldwani, where ₹60,000 was physically withdrawn from a local ATM.
• The West Bengal Connection: From a ₹19.67 lakh cyber scam reported in West Bengal, ₹20,000 was withdrawn via a Bank of Baroda ATM located in Haldwani.
• The Tamil Nadu Connection: A ₹3.99 lakh fraud case registered in Tamil Nadu saw ₹40,000 drawn out from an IDFC First Bank ATM in the district.

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