BK Singh
The arrest of 19-year-old lifestyle influencer Hukum Singh Rawat from Lucknow is yet another reminder of how deeply cybercrime has infiltrated everyday life in India.
Behind the glossy façade of social media fame and fast money lies a growing web of deceit — one that now recruits not just hardened criminals but also unsuspecting youth, students, and daily wage workers.
Rawat, an undergraduate with over five lakh followers across YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, dreamed of scaling up his online brand.
Lacking the funds to hire talent or upgrade equipment, he allegedly turned to cybercrime, renting out his bank accounts to fraud syndicates for a commission.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan, Rawat and two others were arrested earlier this month for providing “mule accounts” to a cyber fraud network operating across multiple states.
Police investigations revealed that Rawat sold his accounts to cybercriminals for 4–5% commission per transaction.
The money passing through these accounts was traced to fraud cases involving “work-from-home” scams and fake online marketplace deals.
In one case, a woman was duped of ₹31,800 through a Telegram-based hotel-rating scam, while another victim lost ₹1.81 lakh to a con artist posing as an Army officer selling a tractor on Facebook Marketplace.
The other two arrested were Alok Kumar, a 32-year-old ex-e-rickshaw driver turned property dealer, and Aditya Shukla, a 22-year-old who opened multiple bank accounts for fraudsters.
Police believe that one of Rawat’s associates, Rahul, is still on the run and was coordinating these fraudulent money transfers.
A National Epidemic of Deception
What happened in Lucknow is not an isolated incident. Across India, cybercriminals are increasingly recruiting ordinary people—students, unemployed youth, daily wage earners, and small vendors—by offering them easy money for letting their accounts be used for “online business transactions.”
Many fall prey without fully realizing they are facilitating crime.
Earlier probes have shown that cyber syndicates lure the gullible with promises of high returns—ranging from online part-time jobs, social media promotions, cryptocurrency schemes, and e-commerce “investment” tasks.
Once drawn in, victims either lose money themselves or unknowingly become part of a chain used to launder stolen funds.
A Failing System
While cybercrime networks grow smarter and more decentralized, India’s policing remains largely reactive and outdated.
Most cyber cells exist only to register First Information Reports (FIRs), offering little follow-up or resolution. Once a complaint is filed, cases rarely progress.
The technical sophistication of cybercriminals far exceeds the capacity of local police units that often lack modern digital forensic tools, trained personnel, and real-time coordination with banks or telecom authorities.
The Urgent Need for Real Solutions
Cybercrime has become a social menace, not just a law-and-order issue. It preys on trust, economic desperation, and digital illiteracy.
The situation now demands a coordinated national response — a joint effort by government agencies, IT experts, financial institutions, and educational institutions to design a robust prevention mechanism.
It is time India develops intelligent detection systems, real-time inter-bank fraud alert networks, and public awareness programs that teach citizens how to identify and report digital scams. Cyber vigilance must move from bureaucratic formality to active deterrence.
Until then, the story will continue to repeat itself: FIRs filed, press releases issued — and cybercriminals one step ahead of the law.
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