Operation Mule Hunt: Over 20 Mule Account Holders Booked in Cyber Fraud Crackdown in Pune

Pune, 23rd July 2026: Police across Pune district have launched a coordinated crackdown on mule bank accounts used in cyber frauds, booking more than 20 account holders under the nationwide ‘Operation Mule Hunt’ over the last two days after identifying suspicious transactions worth over Rs 1 crore.

The action was initiated after analysing data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), which flagged bank accounts linked to cybercrime complaints reported from different parts of the country. Police teams verified the accounts before registering criminal cases against the holders.

Of the cases registered, Pune Rural police booked three account holders at Manchar, Baramati Rural and Lonavla City police stations. The remaining cases were registered by Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad police at various police stations within their jurisdictions.

Investigators said the identified accounts had allegedly been used to receive and transfer money siphoned off through cyber frauds. The transactions routed through these accounts collectively exceeded Rs 1 crore.

Officials said the drive is part of Operation Mule Hunt, a nationwide initiative targeting individuals who allow their bank accounts to be used for laundering proceeds of cybercrime. Further investigation is underway to trace the beneficiaries and identify the larger networks behind the frauds.