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18 people have been arrested in Telangana’s Khammam district for operating “mule” bank accounts. Police said that transactions amounting to Rs 547 crore linked to cyber fraud were routed through these accounts.
A case has been registered against 24 accused, of whom 18 have been arrested. Khammam Police Commissioner Sunil Dutt said in a statement that the investigation revealed the accused were involved in a large, organised cyber fraud network operating systematically between 2022 and 2025.
He said the accused induced multiple individuals under the guise of employment, business opportunities and monetary incentives to open and operate bank accounts in their names. The “mule” accounts were provided to cyber fraudsters on a commission basis and used for transferring funds abroad, converting money into cryptocurrencies and making withdrawals.
The internet banking credentials of these accounts were collected and misused, allowing the accused to exercise control over them, the commissioner added. Police said the accounts were used for receiving, layering, transferring and laundering the proceeds of cyber fraud, attracting offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, 2000. An analysis of bank accounts linked to the accused and their associates revealed transactions amounting to Rs 547 crore, police said.
