Lucknow: A hotel room in the Kaiserbagh area was being used as a collection and transfer point for cyber fraud proceeds, police said after arresting two youths and taking four juveniles into custody. Investigators have also managed to freeze transactions worth ₹3.28 crore linked to cyber fraud in six State Bank of India (SBI) accounts.The arrests were made on Thursday by the Kaiserbagh police following a tip-off that a group staying in Room No. 101 of Ashirwad Hotel on Latouche Road was allegedly operating bank accounts used to receive and withdraw money generated through cyber crimes.Police said five people were found in the room during the raid. Four of them were juveniles, while the fifth was identified as Ritesh Singh (21), a resident of Gopalganj district in Bihar. Based on information obtained during questioning, police later arrested Prince Kushwaha (19), a resident of Kakori in Lucknow, who is suspected to be another member of the network.During the search, police recovered six ATM cards of different banks, five mobile phones, a Jio SIM card, a BharatPe One card-swiping machine, two bank passbooks, ₹5,600 in cash, and a motorcycle allegedly used in the operation.Police said the accused revealed that funds generated through cyber fraud were routed into “mule” bank accounts. The money was then withdrawn through ATM cards and deposited into other SBI accounts. The accused allegedly earned commissions for facilitating these transactions.A scrutiny of bank records and digital evidence revealed transactions linked to cyber fraud worth ₹3.28 crore, prompting police to place a hold or debit freeze on six SBI accounts.Police said the four juveniles were allegedly involved in handling funds and will be dealt with under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.
