Mumbai, Sep 22 (NationPress) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended an elusive cybercriminal implicated in the astonishing deposit of Rs 3.81 crore within a single day into a mule account located in Mumbai, an official confirmed on Monday.

The suspect, identified as Neeraj, was located by the CBI through persistent technical surveillance, complemented by local and physical intelligence, as per the official report.

Following his apprehension, the CBI presented Neeraj in a Special Court, which then placed him under the agency's custody. Preliminary charges have already been submitted in this matter, with three other accomplices currently held in judicial detention.

A mule account refers to a bank account exploited by criminals to transfer or launder illicit finances, often unbeknownst to the account holder.

The investigation disclosed that Neeraj was in contact with his co-accused Sudhir Palande, who is also in judicial custody, to set up a mule account at IndusInd Bank, where the substantial sum of Rs 3.81 crore—derived from criminal activities—was deposited within just one day.

Neeraj additionally assisted Palande's journey from Mumbai to Nagpur to manage the mule account and oversee the transfer of illicit funds, according to the CBI.

In July, three cybercriminals linked to the deposit of Rs 3.81 crore on July 2 into a mule account in Mumbai and its subsequent redistribution among other fraudsters were arrested by the Economic Offences Branch (EOB) of the CBI.

Those apprehended included Palande, intermediary Yash Thakur, and cyber operator-cum-agent Shaurya Sunilkumar Singh, as stated by the official.

Throughout the investigation, the agency pinpointed the middlemen responsible for establishing the mule account in Mumbai, arranging the stay of the account holder in Nagpur, and transferring funds into additional mule accounts via other agents from Nagpur.

Once the account received the funds, the money was subsequently distributed to over a hundred mule accounts opened across India in the initial layer. “The proceeds from cyber fraud were further transferred and layered to thousands of accounts before finally reaching the actual cyber fraudsters,” the statement said.

The CBI's EOB investigation uncovered that agents in Nagpur and mule account holder Palande earned commissions in cryptocurrency, which were then dispersed among the co-conspirators.

During the inquiry, the CBI revealed a comprehensive scheme involving the creation of the mule account by bankers and middlemen, all executed without adhering to proper KYC norms, Customer Due Diligence, or Initial Risk Assessment.

Violations of guidelines issued in the RBI Master circular and several internal policies of the bank were also noted, according to the investigating agency.