Nationwide cyber fraud racket uncovered:₹638 crore fraud in Madhya Pradesh; funds frozen in 2.93 lakh bank accounts in 17 states

A large network of cyber fraud is active from Madhya Pradesh to the country and abroad. Cyber fraudsters sitting in more than 17 states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, MP, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh are targeting people from MP. Fraudsters are trapping people daily with high-tech tactics like digital arrest, APK files, and SIM swap. The situation is such that 4 out of every 100 people are falling victim to cyber fraud. After the fraud, the money is immediately transferred to accounts opened in different states so that it cannot be traced. The figures for the year 2025 are alarming – fraudsters extorted 638 crore rupees from 64 thousand people in Madhya Pradesh. This fraudulent money was circulated through 1 to 10 layers (levels) to evade police detection. Gwalior, Bhopal, and Indore have been the main targets of this network. Cybercriminals are using tactics like digital arrest, SIM swap, and fake APK files. On average, 5523 calls are made daily in the state, out of which 175 people become victims. This means 4 out of every 100 people are losing their savings. Scammers are daily extorting about 1.75 crore rupees and transferring the amount to more than 800 bank accounts.
Understand… Your money runs through 1 to 10 accounts
As soon as the money arrives, scammers layer it on the lines of ‘money laundering’…
Layer 1: First, the money reached 56,743 accounts.
Layer 2: From here, the amount was distributed among 65,789 accounts.
Layer 3: From here, the money was circulated through 52,456 bank accounts.
Up to Layer 10: Finally, this money was spread across 2.93 lakh accounts so that the police could not reach the main mastermind. Villagers targeted, accounts taken for 5 thousand
Fraudsters have agents in villages and towns. These agents entice needy people and villagers with small temptations to open bank accounts in their names or rent their accounts. When the police investigate, instead of the real fraudster, the poor person in whose name the account is, gets trapped. Bihar, Rajasthan, and West Bengal have emerged as major centers for this ‘account trade’. Investigation in 5 stages, then freeze and un-freeze
After a fraud complaint, action is taken in 5 stages. First, the cyber cell investigates. After that, the bank’s nodal team puts accounts on hold and freezes them. Then, after a complaint to the cyber cell police station or 1930, the bank freezes the account. The victim complains about the freeze/hold to the cyber cell. If fraud is proven in the investigation, the cyber cell issues an NOC/de-freeze order. Expert – Pranay Nagvanshi, SP, MP State Cyber Cell If you receive a call from an unknown number, hang up in 1 minute, think for 20 seconds.
If you receive a call from an unknown number that instills fear or greed, hang up immediately. Calmly think for 20 seconds, “Could this be true?” This is where the scammer loses. Do not click on any unknown link or QR code, as about 70% of scams start from here. Keep your bank SMS alerts active. If you see any suspicious transaction in your account, immediately complain on helpline 1930, so that the amount can be stopped in time.