Massive Cyber Fraud Busted in Betul: ₹10 Crore Transacted Through Inactive and Even a Dead Person’s Bank Account

Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district have uncovered a cyber fraud racket that has shocked the region. Fraudsters used several bank accounts that had been inactive for years — including one belonging to a deceased person — to move nearly ₹10 crore. The real account holders were completely unaware that their accounts were being used for such huge transactions.

Inactive Accounts Misused for Crores of Transactions

According to the police, transactions worth about ₹9 crore 84 lakh 95 thousand were carried out using the bank accounts of six living individuals and one deceased person. These accounts had been lying inactive for years, raising serious concerns about how they could be accessed and used without proper verification or bank procedures.

How the Racket Worked

The case came to light when a tribal labourer, Vishram Eve from KD village, approached the police in a frightened state. He reported that transactions of nearly ₹2 crore had been made from his bank account in just one month—without his knowledge. This triggered an immediate investigation.

Police found that the main accused, a resident of Tekadi, used to target poor tribal labourers. He allegedly took control of their bank accounts by changing the mobile numbers linked to the accounts at the bank. Once the mobile number was changed, the gang had full access to the accounts and carried out high-value deposits and withdrawals.

In the last five months alone, nearly ₹2 crore was transferred through these accounts.

Gang Operated from Indore

During interrogation, police discovered that the gang was being run from Indore. An accused named Ankit handled the accounts through mobile banking. He had hired several people to withdraw cash from ATMs using the manipulated accounts. Police recovered 21 ATM cards and 15 mobile phones from his possession.

Large Amount of Digital Evidence Seized

During raids, the police recovered a significant amount of material, suggesting that this was a well-organized cyber network. Items seized include:

• 15 mobile phones

• 25 SIM cards

• 21 ATM cards

• 11 passbooks

• 7 chequebooks

• 2 laptops

• 2 POS machines

• 69 ATM deposit receipts

• Routers and registers

• ₹28,000 in cash

Three Accused Arrested, More Could Be Involved

Police have so far arrested three youths — two from Indore and one from Betul. Investigators believe more people may be connected with the gang and the total fraud amount could increase as the probe continues.

Betul SP Virendra Jain said the incident raises serious questions about the security of banking procedures, especially regarding inactive and dormant accounts. The investigation is ongoing, and police are working to identify the full network involved in the scam.