Three persons have been arrested by the Malkajgiri Police Cyber Crime Cell in two separate cyber crime cases detected over the past week, with a court-approved refund of over ₹ 16.28 lakh to the victims.
The arrests were made between January 11 and 17 after police uncovered two cases involving investment fraud and part-time job fraud.
In the investment scam case, the police arrested Mahboob Pasha from Karimnagar, who was sent to judicial custody. Investigation revealed that he was acting as a mule account holder when he opened a current account in the name of MMK Lubricant and Auto Store at the Axis Bank branch in Karimnagar and shared the bank credentials with the fraudsters. On November 16, 2025, the account was used to receive ₹16,000 from the victim in a bogus investment scheme. Police said the accused was aware that the funds were obtained fraudulently and received a commission for brokering the transaction. He is also allegedly involved in two other cyber crime cases registered in Haryana.
In the second case related to part-time job scam, the police arrested two accused from Nalgonda, identified as Beerelli Vinay Kumar and Kathula Prashanth. According to investigators, the duo supported the fraud by operating bank accounts used to receive and transfer the fraudulent amounts. The victim was lured through a Telegram group offering online hotel bookings with promises of commission. After initial small payouts, the victim was forced to make repeated high-value payments under various pretexts, resulting in losses exceeding ₹47 million.
Police said the bank accounts used in this case were also linked to two other cases registered in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Apart from the arrests, the Malkajgiri Cyber Crime Police Station has processed refunds of ₹16,28,616 through court orders, providing relief to victims of cyber financial fraud.
Police urged the public to remain vigilant and not believe unknown callers or advertisements on social media platforms. Officials reiterated that renting or selling bank accounts is illegal and plays a major role in enabling cybercrime. Victims of cyber fraud have been advised to contact the National Cybercrime Helpline 1930 immediately and report the matter to the Cybercrime Police.
Published – 17 Jan 2026 19:30 IST