ROURKELA: Local branch manager of Bandhan Bank and an agent of IDBI Bank were among 14 persons arrested by the Rourkela police for their association with an organised crime syndicate involved in operation of mule bank accounts.
The crime syndicate, based out of Rourkela, was primarily involved in procurement and operation of mule bank accounts to facilitate transfer of illegal proceeds in cyber crime and money laundering activities in India and abroad.
The seizure included 30 Aadhaar and 10 PAN cards used in fake accounts, 17 passbooks of different banks, four cheque books, one laptop, 15 mobile phones and a car. Acting on a tip off, a team of the Cyber Crime & Economic Offences police station with help of local police arrested the 14 in two phases for acting as conduits for the gang, Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said.
Investigation revealed the accused were involved in facilitating and opening of mule bank accounts by forging documents with tacit support of complicit bank employees.
The SP claimed each mule account was rented or sold to the crime syndicate for Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 and the bank accounts were found having links to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Bihar and other states along with Dubai and Nepal.
Wadhwani said involvement of insiders of several other banks is under investigation. The 14 included Bandhan Bank branch manager Sahil Khuntia and IDBI Bank agent Shilpi Sahu. They were produced before a court on Tuesday.