In what is believed to be the first established link between Punjab-based cyber fraudsters and Chinese nationals, Punjab Police’s state cyber crime division busted a gang involved in facilitating the opening and supply of current bank accounts, commonly known as mule accounts, to route, layer, and settle defrauded funds on behalf of handlers based in China, with the arrest of three persons, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav in Chandigarh on Thursday.The accused were identified as Gurjeet Singh, Raman Rai, and Sukhdev Singh, all natives of Jalalabad in Fazilka. The trio was operating from a rented room at Phase 5, Mohali, under the name “Brother Traders” to arrange and supply current bank accounts for cyber fraud activities.The police have frozen approximately Rs 20 lakh in bank accounts linked to the gang. At least 23 ATM cards, two laptops, seven mobile phones, five SIM cards, forged bank and KYC documents, including 14 cheque books and Udyam certificates, six stamps, and cryptocurrency worth 5,100 USDT were recovered from their possession.The DGP said the investigation revealed that the accused had been involved in such illicit activities for the past two years, allegedly earning Rs 50 lakh in commission by providing mule accounts to cyber fraudsters.The bank accounts were allegedly opened using forged and morphed documents. To evade scrutiny, the accused had rented a room in Mohali where they purportedly staged a fake business setup, changing hoardings as required and keeping Ayurvedic products to create the impression of a genuine enterprise, the police claimed.Special DGP (Cyber Crime) V Neeraja said the action was initiated under ongoing operations against “domestic hotspots” to prevent cybercrime.The investigation revealed that the accused were directly linked to Chinese nationals through Telegram, allegedly providing them with bank accounts and receiving profits in USDT cryptocurrency, marking the first time such a direct cross-border nexus has been established in a Punjab cybercrime case, she added.Inter-state linkages verified on the Samanvay portal of I4C showed these mule accounts were linked to 24 cyber fraud victims, with Rs 26.65 lakh placed under lien in those accounts, the Special DGP said.Investigation into the recovered ATM cards is underway to trace more victims and uncover the full extent of the network, she added.A case (FIR No. 16, dated March 17, 2026) has been registered under Sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act at the state cyber crime police station.