Hyderabad | 24 Feb 2026

In one of its biggest actions against online fraud, the Hyderabad Police on Tuesday said it has broken a large cybercrime syndicate operating across the country. Under a special drive named “Operation Octopus”, police arrested 104 people from 16 states who were allegedly involved in cyber fraud cases worth around ₹127 crore. Officials said the accused are linked to 1,055 cybercrime complaints registered in different parts of India.

V C Sajjanar, Commissioner of Hyderabad Police, said the arrests include 86 mule bank account holders and 17 account suppliers or aggregators who acted as middlemen by arranging accounts and routing money to the masterminds. Police also arrested one Relationship Manager of a private bank who allegedly helped fraudsters in opening and operating fake accounts.

Police said cybercrime cases such as investment scams, trading frauds and “Digital Arrest” scams have risen sharply in recent months, causing heavy financial losses to innocent people. Keeping this in mind, the city cybercrime unit launched “Operation Octopus” to strike at the backbone of these illegal networks. During the investigation, officers traced 151 bank accounts that were being used to move stolen money.

To crack the network, 32 special police teams were formed and sent simultaneously to cybercrime hotspots in states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Odisha. The coordinated operation was carried out over 10 days. As Sajjanar stated, "104 individuals who played pivotal roles in the execution of the fraud were apprehended."

During the raids, police seized 204 mobile phones, 141 SIM cards, 152 bank passbooks, 234 debit and credit cards, 26 laptops, 56 corporate or firm stamps, and ₹36 lakh in cash. Police said “Operation Octopus” is still ongoing and further action will be taken to catch those at the top of these syndicates. A strong warning has been issued that anyone involved including bank staff, account holders or facilitators will face strict legal action, regardless of their position or influence.

Hyderabad Police Crack Down on Cybercrime Network, 104 Arrested in Major Nationwide Operation

Hyderabad Police have carried out a major nationwide operation against cybercrime, arresting 104 people from 16 states. The action was taken under a special drive called “Operation Octopus”, which targeted a large network involved in online fraud cases worth nearly ₹127 crore. Police said the accused are linked to more than 1,000 cybercrime complaints registered across the country.

According to V C Sajjanar, the arrested persons include mule bank account holders and middlemen who helped move stolen money to the main operators. One Relationship Manager of a private bank was also arrested for allegedly helping fraudsters open and run fake accounts. Police said these accounts were used in scams such as investment frauds and “Digital Arrest” cases.

The crackdown followed a detailed investigation by the Cyber Crime Police Station of Hyderabad Police, which identified 151 suspicious bank accounts used to siphon off money from victims. To break the network, 32 special teams were formed and sent to different states, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka ,West Bengal and many more.The operation was carried out simultaneously over 10 days.

During the raids, police seized mobile phones, SIM cards, bank passbooks, debit and credit cards, laptops, company stamps and cash. Officials said “Operation Octopus” is still ongoing and more arrests are likely. Police also warned that anyone supporting cybercriminals including bank staff or account holders  will face strict legal action without exception.