The Khanna police have arrested nine persons for allegedly operating two interlinked cyber fraud rackets that routed nearly ₹78 crore of defrauded money through 31 bank accounts. The accused are suspected to be linked to over 200 complaints registered across various states.
The arrested accused have been identified as Sonu Kumar of Ludhiana; Surinderpal Singh, alias deputy of Khanna; Vicky Prasad of Mandi Gobindgarh; Rajan of Ludhiana; Gopal of Jodhpur (Rajasthan); Alia Ahmad of Delhi; Sumit Kumar Jha of West Bengal; Mallan Rai alias Sonu of Khanna; and Ramdhan of Mandi Gobindgarh.
Police said Alia Ahmad was the kingpin of the racket. The network also had overseas links, including connections in Dubai.
Addressing a press conference, Khanna senior superintendent of police Darpan Ahluwalia said that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre had flagged suspicious bank accounts linked to online fraud on the NCR portal. “Out of these, 53 bank accounts were traced to Khanna. The police scrutinised seven accounts initially and, following a detailed investigation, arrested nine accused,” she said.
The SSP stated that most of the accounts were mule accounts — bank accounts opened or used to transfer illicit funds on behalf of cybercriminals, often in exchange for a commission. These accounts are typically operated in the names of unsuspecting or complicit individuals to obscure the origin of defrauded money. “The kingpin persuaded local residents to open such accounts by promising commissions ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per transaction,” the SSP said.
{{/usCountry}}The SSP stated that most of the accounts were mule accounts — bank accounts opened or used to transfer illicit funds on behalf of cybercriminals, often in exchange for a commission. These accounts are typically operated in the names of unsuspecting or complicit individuals to obscure the origin of defrauded money. “The kingpin persuaded local residents to open such accounts by promising commissions ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per transaction,” the SSP said.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators found that Sonu of Ludhiana acted as a mule account holder, while Rajan sourced and arranged such accounts from various individuals for illegal financial transfers. “By connecting these links, we uncovered the entire network,” Ahluwalia added.
Police further revealed that the accused layered and transferred funds through multiple accounts in rapid succession to evade detection. However, timely alerts from the cyber cell enabled authorities to freeze several transactions. The accused had also received notices from the Income Tax and GST departments over suspicious financial activity.
In another facet of the case, Vicky Prasad allegedly floated fake firms and was involved not only in routing fraudulent funds but also in GST fraud. The police warned that many individuals, lured by the promise of quick money, inadvertently become tools in organised cybercrime operations.
Authorities will now trace movable and immovable assets allegedly acquired from the proceeds of crime. Notably, in November 2025, the Punjab Police had identified over 150 active mule accounts operating across nationalised and private banks in the state, with a significant number traced to Ludhiana. An FIR had subsequently been registered at the cybercrime police station under the Ludhiana Commissionerate.
Police have appealed to the public not to open or share bank accounts for monetary incentives, cautioning that such acts can invite stringent legal consequences.