A major cyber crime network linking Haryana and Madhya Pradesh has come to light after authorities uncovered a fraud worth more than Rs 3,000 crore. The operation revealed that the masterminds running the racket were based in Nuh in Haryana, a district that has increasingly become the country’s most active cyber crime zone.
The Madhya Pradesh police found that the fraud was being run from an illegal call centre in Gurugram. Young school dropouts from Nuh managed an organised system of scam calls related to job offers, investment schemes, cryptocurrency and fake law enforcement threats. As the investigation progressed, officers discovered that more than one thousand mule bank accounts belonging to villagers from the Vindhya and Mahakoshal regions were used to move money. Many villagers were told their accounts were needed for government benefits, but the accounts were instead used for laundering funds.
Over two years, more than Rs 3,000 crore passed through these accounts, often routed to cities across India and later to foreign locations, including the Middle East. Investigators are still examining whether the money movement points only to cyber fraud or if it is also linked to religious funding, hawala routes or terror financing.
Hundreds of SIM cards sourced from Madhya Pradesh were moved through Patna before reaching the Nuh operators. These SIM cards formed the backbone of the scam calls. Police also identified shell companies in Hyderabad and Maharashtra through which large sums were circulated to hide their origin.
SP Pranay Nagwanshi of the cyber cell said that fake SIM cards were being widely sold across several Madhya Pradesh districts and that new centres were discovered during recent operations. He confirmed that some bank employees helped open mule accounts. Many villagers rented out their accounts for small monthly payments.
The state has seen a rise in cyber crime cases. Several incidents involved victims being threatened by callers posing as officials from regulatory bodies, the police or investigation agencies. In one case, a senior advocate in Bhopal died by suicide after receiving a threatening call claiming his name was linked to terror funding.
According to figures presented in the state Assembly, more than Rs 1,054 crore was stolen in cyber fraud between 2021 and 2025, with police recovering less than one per cent. Authorities have arrested over 25 individuals linked to the network, but the main organisers are believed to still be in Nuh.
As the investigation continues, officials are trying to determine whether the emerging pattern points to the rise of a cyber terror corridor.
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