Bengaluru: A 25-year-old gym trainer has approached police, alleging that his bank account was misused to channel cyber fraud proceeds after he started receiving repeated alerts from his bank about suspicious transactions.K Solomon Robin, a resident of Williams Town near Benson Town and trainer at a fitness centre in RT Nagar, told police his colleague Waseem Akram introduced him in April 2024 to a man named Umar, described as a businessman. Umar, who frequently visited the gym, later sought Robin’s help to open two bank accounts, claiming he needed them for business transactions to avoid tax liabilities.Trusting Waseem and Umar, Robin agreed and, along with his friend Shailesh, submitted ID proofs to open accounts at a bank in Banaswadi. Umar allegedly paid them Rs 5,000 each and took custody of the linked mobile phone and sim card, along with debit cards, passbooks and cheque books.Robin said he initially assumed the accounts were being used for legitimate business transactions, but grew concerned after receiving bank notices seeking details of suspicious transfers. When he contacted Waseem, he was allegedly advised to ignore and discard the notices.Matters escalated when Robin’s personal bank account was frozen. Recently, East Cyber Crime police questioned him and informed him that Rs 16 lakh had been routed through his account within a month of its opening. Waseem has been taken into custody, while Umar is believed to have travelled to Dubai. Police suspect multiple mule accounts were created and are probing the wider network.
