Three arrested by Malkajgiri police in cybercrime cases, refund ₹16.28 lakh to victims

Three persons were arrested by the cyber crime wing of the Malkajgiri police in two separate cybercrime cases detected over the past week, while securing court-approved refunds of more than ₹16.28 lakh to victims.

The arrests were made between January 11 and 17 after the police detected two cases involving investment fraud and part-time job fraud.

In the investment fraud case, police arrested Mahboob Pasha of Karimnagar, who was sent to judicial custody. Investigations revealed that he had acted as a mule account holder by opening a current account at an Axis Bank branch in Karimnagar in the name of MMK Lubricant and Auto Store and sharing the banking credentials with fraudsters. The account was used to receive ₹16 lakh from a victim on November 16, 2025, as part of a fake investment scheme. Police said the accused was aware that the funds were obtained by cheating and had received a commission for facilitating the transaction. He is also allegedly involved in two other cybercrime cases registered in Haryana.

In the second case, related to part-time job fraud, police arrested two accused from Nalgonda, identified as Beerelli Vinay Kumar and Kathula Prashanth. According to investigators, the duo supported the fraud by operating bank accounts used to receive and transfer cheated amounts. The victim was lured through a Telegram group offering online hotel booking tasks with promises of commission. After initial small payouts, the victim was induced to make repeated high-value payments under various pretexts, resulting in losses exceeding ₹47 lakh.

Police said the bank accounts used in this case were also linked to two other cases registered in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Apart from the arrests, the Cyber Crime Police Station, Malkajgiri, processed refunds amounting to ₹16,28,616 through orders of the court, providing relief to victims of cyber-enabled financial fraud.

The police have urged the public to remain cautious and avoid believing unknown callers or advertisements on social media platforms. Officials reiterated that renting or selling bank accounts is illegal and plays a major role in enabling cybercrime. Victims of cyber fraud have been advised to immediately contact the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and report the matter to the cybercrime police.