₹42 Cr in Barber's Account: Massive ₹102 Cr Pan-India Gaming Cyber Scam Busted in Pilibhit

• by Akanksha Mishra
• 2026-09-22 16:23:00

In a staggering revelation exposing glaring banking compliance lapses, the Uttar Pradesh Police has unraveled a massive pan-India cyber syndicate in Pilibhit that siphoned off ₹102.54 crore through fraudulent online gaming networks. The interstate racket lured internet users across 14 states with deceptive "win millions" advertisements, routing illicit funds through mule accounts opened in the names of underprivileged villagers, daily wagers, and local shopkeepers. Operating under the administrative radar, a current account registered to a modest barber named Bilal at the Bank of Baroda's Tanakpur Road branch in Pilibhit saw transactions exceeding ₹42 crore, while another grocery shop owner's account was swamped with crores of rupees without triggering immediate anti-money laundering red flags from branch staff.

Sophisticated Mule Network Across 14 States: Eight Forged IDs and Cards Seized

The cyber syndicate, masterminded by key operatives Vishal Maurya and Farman from Bareilly alongside kingpin Mohsin, established operational nerve centers across Delhi and Bareilly while victimizing internet users in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal, Punjab, and Bihar. Following preliminary breakthroughs, police nabbed Mohsin alongside Rahul, a local nursing student who actively managed financial conduits for the gang. Investigating teams recovered 8 forged identity cards, 10 debit cards, passbooks, and chequebooks during raids, uncovering how brothers Mobin and Mohsin enticed economically vulnerable villagers in Jehanabad town with ₹10,000 kickbacks under the pretext of government schemes to acquire their bank credentials, PAN cards, identity records, and pre-activated SIM cards.

Bank Scrutiny Underway: Pilibhit SP Confirms Hunt for Mastermind Vishal

Digital forensics conducted on national cybercrime reporting portal records revealed that accounts linked to Haroon accumulated 85 separate cyber fraud complaints amounting to ₹42.54 crore, while Rahul's accounts with Canara Bank were tagged in 34 complaints totaling ₹28 crore, alongside accounts belonging to Arbaaz, Danish, and Mohsin carrying ₹32 crore in traced frauds. Several suspicious corporate and current accounts were simultaneously operated across Bank of Baroda branches on Tanakpur Road and Dang. Pilibhit Superintendent of Police Sukirti Madhav confirmed that special teams are executing intensive raids to track down Vishal Maurya and Farman, while widening the scope of the probe to examine potential complicity or gross negligence among local bank personnel who permitted astronomical transaction volumes through low-income accounts without verifying KYC credentials.

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