Davangere: In a major breakthrough, the Davangere Cyber Crime Police have uncovered a massive ₹150 crore cyber fraud network operating across multiple states. The police have arrested one accused, while two others remain absconding.

The arrested accused has been identified as Syed Arfat (28), a resident of Shantinagar, Belur taluk, Hassan district. He and his associates are accused of siphoning off crores of rupees from bank accounts across India.

The case came to light after Canara Bank account holder Pramod H.N. from Nittuvalli, Davangere, reported a theft of ₹52.6 lakh from his account. Following the complaint, cyber crime officials traced the fraudulent transactions to the accused.

Investigations revealed that between July 27 and August 19, around ₹150 crore was credited to Arfat’s bank account. Of this, ₹132 crore had already been withdrawn, while police managed to freeze ₹18 crore.

Police sources said the accused is linked to cyber fraud operations in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir), Eluru (Andhra Pradesh), Mumbai (Maharashtra), Bengaluru, and Davangere (Karnataka). The network is believed to be part of a larger inter-state cybercrime syndicate targeting unsuspecting bank customers.

The investigation was led by DySP Bankali Nagappa, under the supervision of Davangere SP Uma Prashanth, who praised the cyber crime unit for the swift and effective operation.

Authorities have formed special teams to trace the remaining two accused who are currently on the run. Police officials suspect the group used fake job offers, phishing links, and money mule accounts to execute large-scale online fraud.