Ludhiana: In a bizarre twist to the ₹78-crore multi-state cyber bust, Khanna police have revealed that the syndicate didn’t just distrust the law — they didn’t trust their own mule employees either.Investigators found that the gang deployed a dedicated “security guard” to shadow mule account holders during withdrawals to ensure they didn’t bolt with the stolen cash. The syndicate even demanded “security deposits” from their own mules — reaching as high as ₹11 lakh — as insurance against them defrauding the fraudsters.
Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia has said the gang’s operational paranoia was a key feature of their success. When fraudulent funds landed in a mule account, an accused identified as Gopal, a security guard from Jodhpur, would physically escort the account holder to the bank. “The guard would keep an eye on the mule account holder during the withdrawal or online transaction,” SSP Ahluwalia said. “This was to ensure the mule didn’t defraud the cyber-fraudster by withdrawing the amount for themselves beforehand.“The ‘Security Deposit’ ScamThe investigation revealed a surprisingly corporate, albeit criminal, structure. Because mules stood to earn commissions of ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 for each transaction, they were forced to “buy in” to the scheme. One arrested accused, Rajan, who specialised in creating and selling mule accounts, reportedly had to park ₹11 lakh as a security deposit with another senior member, Mallan Rai, to prove his “loyalty” before handling high-value transactions.Crypto and Shell FirmsThe probe is now expanding into how the money was moved and hidden. A portion of the ₹78 crore was immediately converted into cryptocurrency to make it harder for Indian authorities to track. The secondary nexus involving Vicky Prashad has revealed at least one “shell firm” created solely to claim fraudulent GST credits. While 53 accounts are linked to the case, police have only thoroughly audited seven so far.
