Mumbai Crime: Dongri Police Bust Inter-State Mule Account Racket Linked To 38 Cybercrime Cases

Mumbai, August 20, 2026: The Dongri Police cyber team has busted an inter-state racket allegedly supplying “mule bank accounts” for cyber frauds carried out in the name of online gaming, cricket betting and casino platforms. Three accused have been arrested in connection with the case, while police are searching for five others.

The arrested accused have been identified as Nikhil Kamalkumar Jaswani, 28, a resident of Pipariya, Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Shyamlal Parwani, 32, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, and Jai Biharilal Tirathani, 26, a resident of Katni, Madhya Pradesh.

The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 317 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

According to the police, the racket came to light following a planned investigation based on reliable and confidential information received by the Dongri Police cyber team. The accused allegedly targeted financially vulnerable people by offering them small financial incentives to open bank accounts in their names.

They then took possession of the account holders’ passbooks, debit cards, cheque books, SIM cards and other banking-related documents and allegedly used the accounts for financial transactions linked to cyber frauds.

Investigation Spreads Across Regions

The investigation was subsequently expanded to Govandi, Mankhurd and Dongri in Mumbai, as well as Belapur and Panvel in Navi Mumbai and Osmanabad.

Acting on confidential information, police conducted an operation outside Sandhurst Road railway station on Dr Maheshwari Road in Dongri and arrested three accused during the investigation.

Police have so far identified five wanted accused, and efforts are underway to trace them. Three women — Jyoti Patil, Jaya Dongre and Nisha Dongre, all residents of Lallubhard Compound, Mankhurd, Mumbai — have been served notices under Section 35(3) of the BNSS.

42 Passbooks, 70 Debit Cards Seized

During the investigation, police seized 42 bank passbooks, 70 debit cards, 36 SIM cards, 23 mobile phones, three laptops, one tablet, 12 bank kits and one car from the arrested accused. The total value of the seized property is estimated at around Rs 50 lakh.

Police are conducting a technical analysis of the data stored on the seized digital devices. Investigators suspect that the analysis could reveal more people and transactions linked to the network.

38 Cybercrime Cases Linked

Of the 110 bank accounts seized/identified during the investigation, police have so far received details of 17 accounts from the respective banks. Verification of the financial transactions, technical information and cybercrime complaints registered in different states has revealed that these 17 accounts are allegedly linked to 38 cybercrime cases/complaints across the country.

The cases include:

Maharashtra – 2: Narpoli Police Station, Thane – 1; Khandeshwar Police Station, Navi Mumbai – 1

Karnataka – 9

Telangana – 6

Delhi – 2

Madhya Pradesh – 2

Uttar Pradesh – 5

Kerala – 2

Tamil Nadu – 2

Gujarat – 2

Jammu and Kashmir – 1

West Bengal – 3

Police said the investigation has now extended beyond Mumbai to several states across the country.

Rs 25.45 Crore Transactions Under Scanner

According to preliminary information obtained during the investigation, financial transactions worth approximately Rs 25.45 crore took place through the 17 bank accounts over a period of around one-and-a-half to two months.

Police are conducting a detailed financial investigation to trace the source and movement of the funds, beneficiary accounts, persons involved and their possible links to cybercrime cases.

Dongri Cyber Team Cracks Network

The Dongri Police cyber team coordinated confidential intelligence gathering, technical investigation, tracking of banking transactions, analysis of digital evidence and ground-level operations to bust the network allegedly misusing mule bank accounts for cyber fraud.

The operation is expected to help investigators trace the financial trail of cyber frauds and establish links between cases registered in different parts of the country.

Police Appeal To Citizens

Police have appealed to citizens not to allow anyone to use their bank accounts, passbooks, debit cards, cheque books, SIM cards or mobile phones, even in exchange for financial incentives. Citizens have also been warned never to share their OTPs, PINs or internet banking credentials with others.

Those who notice suspicious transactions in their bank accounts have been advised to immediately contact their bank and inform the police.

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Police have urged citizens to remember that “Your bank account is your responsibility” and to remain vigilant while carrying out financial and digital transactions. Further investigation is underway, and police are working to identify and trace other members of the network based on the available financial and digital evidence.

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