11 arrested as Cyberabad police crackdown on cybercrime networks

Eleven people from various States were arrested by the cyber crime wing of the Cyberabad police in five cases in a week-long crackdown from December 3 to 9.

Officials also secured 319 refund orders in 60 cases from court, enabling the return of more than ₹1.36 crore to victims.

In the most significant case, police raided a place in Old Alwal following a tip-off about bulk supply of bank accounts to cybercriminals and betting syndicates. The prime accused, who ran a textile shop, lost nearly ₹75 lakh to online betting and then turned to supplying bank accounts to recover his losses. He allegedly contacted handlers on Telegram, including groups associated with Tamil Nadu Gaming Company, GDS Pay India Bank Account and Red Pay Timoshy.

Police said he first rented out his own accounts, earning about ₹4 lakh in commission, and later roped in associates to open multiple current accounts using fake shop registrations. The group also procured accounts in the names of innocent people for small payments, and passed on net-banking credentials to Telegram operators. The OTP-forwarding applications were installed using APK files shared by handlers, while commissions were received through crypto wallets and bank transfers. An associated group from Andhra Pradesh helped source further accounts, which were collected via private parcel services. Officers estimate the network supplied more than 35 bank accounts for illicit use.

Five men, identified as Kanugula Venkatesh, Mogili Gopi, Kandrakonda Sai Ram, Angadi Arjun and Panguluri Rajesh, were arrested in connection with the racket.

In another case, police probing a digital arrest scam involving a loss of ₹1.82 crore, arrested a key account holder, Laxman Hanmant Sawantin, in Solapur. He allegedly received ₹40 lakh in his account for a commission of ₹1 lakh.