The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau has arrested 101 people, including 18 women, and traced fraudulent transactions worth approximately Rs 17 crore in a two-week cybercrime crackdown conducted across six states and Union Territories in South India.
The coordinated operation began on September 23 and covered Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Puducherry. According to the Bureau, investigators targeted individuals and networks allegedly involved in cyber-enabled financial crimes and the movement of fraudulent funds through mule bank accounts.
The arrests comprise 35 people from Kerala, 22 from Andhra Pradesh, 17 from Karnataka, 14 from Tamil Nadu, 12 from Telangana and one from Puducherry. The Bureau identified 19 of those arrested as alleged agents or intermediaries and 81 as mule account holders. Several mobile phones, SIM cards, bank passbooks and cheque books allegedly used in fraudulent transactions were also seized.
The arrests are linked to 51 cases registered across seven TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations. Investigators have so far traced 1,172 cybercrime links across India, including 206 links connected to Telangana. The Bureau said 50 of the 101 arrested people were found to have more than five crime links across the country.
The findings indicate that the alleged networks relied on people from varied age groups, occupations and educational backgrounds. The Bureau said 82 per cent of those arrested were between 20 and 50 years old, while 17 per cent were above 50. Business and self-employment accounted for the largest occupational group, at 23 per cent, followed by private employment at 13 per cent.
Housewives or homemakers represented 10 per cent of those arrested, while drivers and operators accounted for seven per cent and sales and marketing professionals for five per cent. The Bureau also identified people with professional qualifications and employment backgrounds who were allegedly involved in facilitating the movement of cybercrime proceeds.
Educationally, 26 per cent of those arrested had Intermediate-level education, while 24 per cent were graduates or degree holders. Another 16 per cent had secondary education, 11 per cent were uneducated and seven per cent held Diploma or ITI qualifications, according to the Bureau.
The operation highlights the cross-border nature of financial cybercrime investigations, with alleged mule-account networks extending across multiple jurisdictions. Coordinated arrests were carried out across state boundaries as investigators pursued links associated with the 51 cases registered in Telangana.
The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau has not disclosed further operational details or the next legal steps in the supplied report. The investigation will continue to examine the alleged role of account holders, intermediaries and other individuals connected to the traced transactions.
