Guwahati Police have arrested eight individuals involved in a cyber fraud syndicate that operated a network of “Mule Bank Accounts” used to transfer illicit funds. The arrests followed a raid at a lodge in the Boragaon area of the city on Wednesday.

The arrested suspects, all from Barpeta district, have been identified as Shah Alam (29), Azizul Hoque (25), Alamin Khan (25), Rubul Hussain Khan (37), Kazi Saddam Hussain (32), Abdul Kalam (31), Azim Uddin Ali (37), and Hasan Ali (36). Police recovered a significant amount of evidence, including 31 mobile phones, 36 ATM cards, 21 cheque books, seven stamps, and various electronic devices used in the scam.

The operation was triggered by a tip-off received by the Gorchuk Police Station about the fraudulent activities occurring at a lodge near Apollo Excelcare Hospital in Boragaon. Acting on this information, a police team, led by Inspector Mayurjit Gogoi, raided Talukdar Hotels & Lodge and detained 15 individuals for questioning. During the investigation, it was revealed that many of the detained suspects were involved in facilitating cybercrimes by opening and using bank accounts for money laundering purposes.

According to police, the gang targeted financially vulnerable individuals, persuading them to open bank accounts with promises of payment. The fraudsters then sold these accounts to other criminals, who used them to launder money obtained through fraud. Account holders were paid Rs 20,000, while the criminals made a profit of Rs 80,000 per account.

A case has been filed at the Cyber Police Station, and investigations are ongoing. Four of the arrested suspects have been remanded to police custody for further questioning. Authorities have warned the public to be vigilant against such cyber scams, which often prey on individuals with limited financial knowledge.