New Delhi: Delhi Police on Thursday arrested two men for allegedly operating a network of 20 shell companies, which were used to siphon off proceeds from cyber frauds.Investigators linked 176 cyber fraud complaints to these entities, involving transactions of approximately Rs 180 crore. The funds were allegedly layered and routed through multiple bank accounts to conceal their origin. Police found that the ill-gotten money was transferred to a single bank account registered in the name of a company located on Delhi’s Barakhamba Road. Prima facie, the pattern of transactions indicated that it was being used as a mule account. A team formed by DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla under the supervision of additional DCP Anand Mishra found that the bank account was registered in the name of one Rajesh Khanna, and that four cyber fraud complaints were registered against it.Khanna told police that he became a director and opened the account at the behest of two acquaintances, Sushil Chawla and Rajesh Kumar Sharma. He said that control over the transfer of funds rested with the two and they facilitated the opening of the other shell companies to siphon off cheated money. Further examination of the bank accounts and records of these companies revealed that they were used to route proceeds from cyber fraud cases reported across the country. Most of these companies were found operating out of New Delhi. The cops have written to Registrar of Companies for details. A senior police officer said that during the course of investigation, Khanna was found dead in a Noida hotel on Dec 7, 2025, after suffering a heart attack.The other accused, Chawla and Sharma, initially joined the probe, but later failed to cooperate. Investigators found suspicious chats related to the accounts of the shell companies on their mobile phones. Based on digital evidence and the chats, police concluded that Khanna was allegedly used as a pawn at the behest of Chawla and Sharma. During interrogation, the two claimed that they were working for industrialist Pawan Ruia, who is allegedly involved in similar cyber fraud cases in West Bengal.
