Puducherry’s Cyber Crime Police have busted a massive cyber-fraud operation allegedly run from inside an engineering college, which investigators now describe as a “hotspot for cyber crime.”
The network - linked to a scam worth nearly ₹90 crore - involved students selling bank accounts of friends and classmates to cyber-criminals who laundered the proceeds across India before converting the money into cryptocurrency through channels in Dubai and China.
The case came to light when two engineering students, Dinesh and Jayapratap, approached the police after their bank accounts were suddenly frozen. They had handed over their account details to their friend Harish, who is now an accused.
Harish had allegedly gathered more than 20 bank accounts from students and members of the public, which were then used as mule accounts to receive scam money. Investigators say over ₹7 crore was moved through these accounts.
Seven people—including four engineering graduates—have been arrested so far: Thomas alias Hayagriva, Harish, Ganesan, Govindaraj, Yashwin, Rahul and Ayyappan. Police seized ₹5 lakh in cash, 171 cheque books, 75 ATM cards, 20 mobile phones, several laptops and computers, numerous bank passbooks, credit cards, and a Hyundai Verna.
One of the key accused, Ganesan, allegedly coordinated with fraudsters in China to convert the withdrawn cash into cryptocurrency via Telegram, earning commissions for each transaction.
Puducherry Police have urged citizens never to share bank account details, ATM cards, or online banking credentials with anyone, and never allow others to operate their accounts under any circumstances.
