In a major crackdown on cyber financial fraud, Hulimavu police have arrested 12 people for allegedly defrauding members of the public by illegally opening bank accounts – commonly known as mule accounts – and using them for illegal financial activities linked to online gambling.
Police seized 242 debit cards, 58 mobile phones, seven laptops, nine watches, 531 grams of gold ornaments, ₹4.89 million in cash, 33 check books, 21 passbooks, 48 SIM cards, one online digital payment ring and a cryptocurrency-related book. The total value of the seized property is estimated at ₹1 million.
Driver based in Dubai
According to the police, on November 28, 2025, officers at the Hulimavu Police Station received credible information that two persons were opening bank accounts in the names of unsuspecting members of the public and handing them over to a Dubai-based manipulator for illegal monetary gain and to facilitate illegal gambling applications. Based on the notification, the case was registered and an investigation started.
On 29 November 2025, the police arrested two suspects near a flat in Anjanapura, JP Nagar 9th Phase. During interrogation, both allegedly confessed to their participation. They were brought to court on November 30 and placed in police custody for 10 days.
During custodial interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that they offered kickbacks, lured people in financial distress, opened bank accounts in their names and misused them for fraudulent transactions. They also revealed the involvement of 10 other accomplices.
In the hospital
Police said the accused would approach gullible people near Victoria Hospital and other crowded public places and offer them small sums of money in exchange for their identity documents to open bank accounts. These accounts were subsequently used as mule accounts to route and launder the proceeds of the fraud.
Acting on this information, the police conducted a search at their residence in Anjanapur on 3 December 2025 and seized several items.
On 9 December 2025, both the accused were again produced before the court, where one was remanded in police custody for another 10 days, while the other was sent to judicial custody.
Acting on further leads, the Hulimavu police arrested 10 accomplices on 17 December 2025 from an office operating out of a residential premises in Delhi’s Rajendra Nagar. The police seized 36 debit cards, 35 mobile phones, 10 check books, six laptops and 12 SIM cards from them. After producing them before a court in Delhi, the accused were brought to Bengaluru on December 18.
All the accused were subsequently produced before a court in Bengaluru and remanded in judicial custody between 31 December 2025 and 6 January 2026 after the end of their police custody.
Cash reward
Meanwhile, city police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh announced a cash reward of ₹50,000 for the Hulimavu police team for successfully solving the case. He said the police are now on the lookout for the prime accused, who is said to be running the racket from Dubai.
According to the police, the king’s close confidant Mohammed Huzaif (23), a PU defector, was operating for the past two years. Investigators said he owned more than two dozen cellphones, including a satellite phone.
Police officials said that with the arrests made so far, transactions worth ₹24 crore have been detected, while the total fraud perpetrated by the syndicate is estimated to be around ₹240 crore. The accused allegedly bought expensive gold and diamond jewelery for his mother and fiancee, all of which were seized.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Electronic City Division, M. Narayan, IPS, and under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Electronic City Sub-Division, KM Satish. Hulimavu Police Station Inspector BG Kumaraswamy led the function along with officers and staff of the station.
Published – 14 Jan 2026 21:42 IST
