ROURKELA: Sector 7 police on Monday arrested five local members of an organised crime syndicate involved in operation of mule bank accounts used for money laundering and routing proceeds of cyber crimes.
The accused are Rahul Roy (30), KP Subham (27), Abhijit Nayak (22), Rohitosh Koila (24) and Ajit Munda (30), all of Sector 15 area in Rourkela.
Deputy SP of Zone-1 Jogeshwar Panda said the organised crime syndicate operating out of Rourkela was involved in arranging mule bank accounts and selling/renting those to cyber criminals and money launderers to route illegal money. The arrested persons engaged by the crime syndicate were involved in arranging SIM cards and opening mule bank accounts with forged documents in the names of unsuspecting individuals.
He said investigation is underway to find out money trails of the mule bank accounts, involvement of unscrupulous bank insiders in opening these accounts and possible link of the arrested persons with other cyber crime gangs. Besides, the focus will be on forensic examination of electronic devices to help dismantle wider crime network.
On the day, the five accused were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody, Panda added.
Earlier on August 12, local branch manager of Bandhan Bank Sahil Khuntia (23) and an agent of IDBI Bank Shilpi Sahu (22) were among 14 people arrested by the Economic Offences and Cyber Crime wing of Rourkela police for their active association with similar organised crime syndicate involved in operation of mule bank accounts.