LLB Student, NEET Aspirant Among The ArrestedLucknow: What began as a routine verification of suspicious bank accounts ended with the unravelling of an alleged international money trail.While checking mule accounts flagged on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) under Operation CY-VAJRA, Lucknow police stumbled upon a network that allegedly laundered proceeds of cyber fraud through cryptocurrency before routing the money to digital wallets controlled by foreign, primarily Chinese, cyber operators.“Nine alleged members of the syndicate were arrested in raids conducted by the crime branch, cyber cell and Madiaon police on Sunday,” said DCP, north, Gopal Krishan Choudhary. The police said the group rarely interacted with victims. Instead, it allegedly specialised in the less visible but critical part of cyber crime—moving stolen money out of the banking system before investigators could freeze it.According to the DCP, the accused identified financially vulnerable people, persuaded them to open bank accounts in exchange for money and took control of their ATM cards, passbooks, cheque books and internet banking credentials. These ‘mule accounts’ became temporary parking spaces for funds siphoned off through cyber frauds reported across the country.“Once the money landed, it was either withdrawn immediately or converted into USDT (Tether), a cryptocurrency, and transferred to digital wallets allegedly operated by Chinese cyber criminals. The police suspect the accused earned commissions on every successful transfer, effectively working as financial couriers for overseas fraud syndicates,” he added.The breakthrough came after police detained Mohammad Shahrukh near Keshav Nagar while verifying suspicious accounts. His interrogation led investigators to a hideout near IIM Road, where eight more accused were arrested. “The team recovered 50 ATM and credit cards, cheque books, passbooks, an iPad, a tablet, ?53,100 in cash and two vehicles allegedly used by the gang,” said the DCP.Officials said forensic analysis of seized electronic devices and Telegram chats is underway to identify the foreign wallet holders, trace crypto transactions and establish the extent of the interstate and international network.“The arrests expose the financial backbone of cyber fraud. The investigation is now focused on following the money beyond India’s banking system into cryptocurrency wallets,” a senior police officer said.LLB student, NEET aspirant, Blinkit staff among nine arrested: The nine arrested have been identified as Mohammad Shahrukh (20) of Jankipuram, a furniture worker; Mahfooz Khan (19) of Jankipuram, a Zomato delivery executive; Syed Abdullah (22) of Kalyanpur, an LLB student; Mohammad Basar (21) of Mohibullapur, employed with Blinkit; Mohammad Ruban (21), originally from Barabanki and currently living in Madiyaon, who works as a painter; Shabir (27), originally from Bahraich and residing in Lalbagh, who is preparing for the NEET examination; Sikandar (21), a student from Shahjahanpur currently staying in Lalbagh; Farhan (26), a student from Balrampur residing in Nazarbagh; and Tufail, a student from Shahjahanpur currently living in Nazarbagh.The police said the accused came from diverse educational and occupational backgrounds, ranging from college students and competitive exam aspirants to delivery workers and daily wage earners, and allegedly worked as part of the cyber laundering network.