The Allahabad High Court has ruled that investigating agencies cannot impose a blanket debit freeze on a person's bank account during cybercrime investigations. The court stated that restraint must be proportionate to the suspected proceeds of crime, directing banks to de-freeze accounts beyond the disputed amount. This ruling aims to protect innocent account holders from complete financial deprivation due to minor disputed transactions.
The Calcutta High Court has appointed a retired judge as a special officer to manage the day-to-day expenses of the Mamata Banerjee-aligned Trinamool Congress (TMC) from three debit-frozen bank accounts. The accounts were frozen following a complaint by a rival TMC faction alleging they held proceeds of crime. The court allowed transactions for party expenses and legal costs, noting that the initial freezing lacked specific material basis and that the complainant had previously benefited from these accounts.
The Enforcement Directorate has frozen bank deposits of the Trinamool Congress worth Rs 440 crore under the anti-money laundering law. This action follows searches in a funds misappropriation case, with allegations of significant transfers to a private aviation company and the purchase of luxury aircraft.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, accusing him of systematic extortion and money laundering through a network of bank accounts. Kharat allegedly rotated over Rs 47 crore of ill-gotten money through 60 bank accounts, deceiving devotees by claiming divine powers.
A special court in Mumbai has ordered the defreezing of the bank accounts of actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, who were accused in a drugs case, citing the NCB's failure to follow procedural requirements under the NDPS Act.
Police in Gadag, Karnataka, have arrested five men for allegedly luring students with false promises of scholarships to open bank accounts for illegal transactions.
'Statutory power must be exercised in a manner that is fair, proportionate, and not excessive.' 'The authority must demonstrate a rational nexus between the property frozen and the alleged offence.'
Delhi Police have arrested five individuals for allegedly supplying mule bank accounts to cyber fraud syndicates with links to Dubai. The arrests follow a complaint regarding a stock market investment scam where the victim was duped of over Rs 12 lakh.
Delhi Police have dismantled a cyber fraud syndicate involved in providing mule bank accounts, arresting 14 individuals across multiple locations. The syndicate allegedly supplied bank accounts, SIM cards, and ATM cards to fraudsters running fake investment schemes and online job scams, laundering the proceeds through these accounts.
Police are investigating the bank accounts of those arrested in connection with the sexual harassment and religious conversion case involving women employees of an IT firm in Nashik to determine if they received funds for illegal activities. A special investigation team (SIT) is handling the case.
Delhi Police arrested a 22-year-old woman for allegedly providing mule bank accounts to an interstate cybercrime network, recovering numerous ATM cards, cheque books, and electronic devices.
Telangana police have dismantled a large network operating illegal mule bank accounts used for fraudulent financial transactions, arresting 13 suspects and uncovering transactions worth approximately Rs 138 crore.
Two individuals have been arrested in Gurugram for allegedly providing bank accounts to cyber fraudsters involved in an investment scam that defrauded victims of approximately Rs 1.09 crore.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to take over the investigation into the embezzlement of 590 crore from Haryana government accounts held with IDFC First Bank in Chandigarh. The Haryana government decided to hand over the probe to the central agency last month following allegations that funds were diverted for personal use through shell companies and real estate investments.
The Supreme Court has directed the Reserve Bank of India to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) within four weeks to deal with bank accounts linked to cyber frauds, including mule accounts. This directive is part of a broader effort to strengthen responses to cyber-enabled financial frauds, with the court also urging states and UTs to adopt and operationalise grievance redressal and money restoration modules.
A sophisticated cross-bank syndicate is systematically defrauding non-resident Indians (NRIs) and elderly citizens by exploiting their fixed deposits through forged documents and fictitious loans, often involving colluding bank employees and real estate deals.
Delhi Police have arrested two individuals from Haryana for their alleged involvement in facilitating cyber fraud through mule bank accounts. The arrests were made during an investigation into an online investment scam that defrauded a senior citizen of over Rs 1.69 lakh.
A stolen mobile phone belonging to an 88-year-old man has helped the Delhi police unearth an interstate cyber-fraud syndicate allegedly operating through a three-stage network spread across Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, an officer said on Monday.
'It's not about individuals operating the mule accounts being more or less skilled. Instead, 'lower-level' refers to the role the individual account plays in the broader mule network.'
Meghalaya has shown significant progress in digital transactions and financial inclusion, recording 32.76 crore digital transactions and nearly 10 lakh Jan Dhan accounts by 2025-26. Efforts like the JAM Trinity and financial literacy programmes have expanded banking access, with a high percentage of bank account holders adopting digital modes. The next phase focuses on enhancing financial literacy and cyber resilience, especially in rural areas.
The incident involved compromise of an employee's email account, resulting in unauthorised access to certain data.
The income tax department has significantly reduced refund processing times over the past few years. But while some taxpayers receive refunds within days, others may wait several weeks or even longer. Here's why.
The Rajya Sabha has passed The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, which aims to replace a British-era law and allow digital and virtual records to be admissible as evidence in courts. This legislation aligns with contemporary digital banking practices and extends a uniform evidential framework to various financial entities, including NBFCs and fintech companies. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the bill's role in strengthening public confidence and safeguarding customer privacy. The bill's passage, however, saw an Opposition walkout over unrelated issues.
NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) and Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) have successfully integrated the Maldives' instant payment system 'Favara' with India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This enables real-time fund transfers from Maldives to UPI-enabled Indian bank accounts, marking a significant step in cross-border digital financial connectivity and bilateral economic cooperation.
State Bank of India (SBI) is extensively using artificial intelligence to underwrite nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in MSME loans and automate the processing of cheques up to Rs 10,000. This AI adoption aims to enhance efficiency, free up employee bandwidth, and improve customer service across various banking functions.
While opening new accounts, banks can check if the name appears in any mule data. In case it does, the bank can conduct enhanced due diligence.
Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing has arrested two individuals, including a chartered accountant, in connection with a GST and VAT fraud involving the misuse of business credentials and dummy firms.
The Enforcement Directorate has frozen 90 bank accounts following searches related to the alleged siphoning of Rs 590 crore of Haryana government funds through IDFC First Bank, involving shell companies and bogus billing for gold purchases.
Equitas Small Finance Bank (SFB) Managing Director and CEO P N Vasudevan stated, "We may end up applying within a year" for a universal banking licence, while also targeting a nearly threefold increase in advances to Rs 1.2 trillion over the next five years.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in Kolkata as part of an investigation into alleged fund routing from TMC's bank accounts for purchasing an Embraer jet and an AgustaWestland helicopter. The probe suggests Rs 160 crore was transferred to Carewell Aviation, with Rs 112 crore used for aircraft. The ED suspects the arrangement was designed to camouflage the true purpose of transactions. This comes amidst frozen TMC bank accounts and ongoing internal party disputes.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien questioned the Enforcement Directorate's decision to freeze three of the party's bank accounts, worth Rs 440 crore, under the anti-money laundering law. He controversially asked when the ED would freeze "temple funds," in an apparent reference to alleged financial irregularities at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, amidst opposition demands for a judicial probe into the matter.
Whenever possible, the karta or head of the family should openly discuss the future distribution of movable and immovable property with all legal heirs.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced a new framework allowing banks to offer differential interest rates on bulk deposits based on their liquidity characteristics under the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) framework, while maintaining the principle of uniform pricing across similar deposits.
The Delhi High Court has ordered the winding up of Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) following the Reserve Bank of India's cancellation of its banking licence due to non-compliance and concerns over depositor interests.
Keeping surplus money in a bank account has become perilous, alerts Harsh Roongta.
Chandigarh is set to launch the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), or digital rupee, for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) on August 14. This initiative makes Chandigarh the first Union Territory to fully roll out CBDC-based DBT for food subsidy, enhancing transparency and efficiency in welfare delivery. The digital rupee, issued by the RBI, will be purpose-bound for purchasing foodgrains from authorised merchants.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended flat on Tuesday, with the Sensex dipping nearly 70 points, as investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of crucial global central bank policy meetings and a significant sell-off in Asian markets.
Read all account documents, ask questions, and conduct basic due diligence before agreeing to become a joint holder.
Odisha Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested two more individuals in connection with a Rs 9.6 crore bank fraud case, bringing the total number of arrests to six. The accused, Surjit Roy and Sameer Srivastav, were apprehended in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, for allegedly withdrawing funds from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) trust using forged cheques.
The highest number of frauds was reported under the card, Internet, and digital payments categories in FY24 and FY25. 'Advances' accounted for the largest share (85.5 per cent) in FY26.
