Interstate mule account syndicate busted in Delhi; four arrested in Paharganj raid

Delhi Police has busted an inter-state cybercrime infrastructure syndicate allegedly supplying shell bank accounts, banking kits and POS terminals to fraudsters across the country, arresting four operatives from Paharganj area, officials said on Monday.

The accused were identified as Sanjay, 30, and Kuldeep Goley, 32, both residents Delhi, Nirdosh Bidlan, 24, from Haryana’s Sonipat; and Deepak Bishnoi, 20, from Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh.

According to police, the syndicate played a key role in facilitating online frauds by arranging “mule accounts” — bank accounts opened in the names of shell firms or recruited individuals — which were later used to route and layer money generated through cybercrimes such as fake investment schemes, job frauds and “digital arrest” scams.

The police raided a hotel in Paharganj and apprehended the four accused while they were allegedly preparing banking infrastructure for further deployment, a senior police officer said. An FIR under relevant sections of the BNS has been registered and an investigation launched.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the racket operated through a structured network of outstation suppliers, local coordinators and end-users.

The outstation operatives allegedly created shell partnership firms using forged rent agreements and opened commercial current accounts in their names.

These banking kits, including cheque books, passbooks and debit cards, were then transported to Delhi where local handlers managed logistics and facilitated deployment of POS terminals and merchant UPI QR codes to disguise illicit proceeds as legitimate business transactions, they said.

Investigators said the account holders were allegedly paid around eight per cent commission, while intermediaries earned an additional two to four per cent.

During the raid, police recovered an active bank POS terminal, a merchant UPI QR code scanner, five cheque books and passbooks linked to commercial current accounts, six debit cards, three original partnership deeds, corporate stamps, PAN cards, a commercial rent agreement and four mobile phones containing banking-related records.

Technical analysis showed the seized bank accounts were linked to multiple cyber fraud complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), including cases reported from Karnataka and Maharashtra. Several accounts were also found flagged in at least five separate fraud complaints, police said.

The four accused have been arrested and sent to judicial custody. Police said efforts are underway to trace the money trail, identify additional linked accounts and ascertain the involvement of other associates in the network.