KOCHI: Street-level drug peddlers in Kochi and other parts of the district are increasingly adopting mule bank accounts — a tactic once largely associated with cyber fraudsters and major narcotics syndicates — as police intensify their financial investigations into drug cases.
Investigators told TNIE the shift — where accused allegedly route online payments through the bank accounts of friends, acquaintances and trusted associates — has become evident following several recent arrests. Police say the modus operandi gathered pace after investigators began routinely scrutinising bank transactions and digital-payment and call-detail records of those arrested in narcotics cases.
“Now, even street-level pushers have started adopting the tactic to avoid leaving a financial trail. And, operatives also have the feeling that money in a mule account will remain safe even if they are caught with cash or contraband,” a senior officer said.
The focus of the current investigation is on identifying customers, suppliers and others connected to drug networks. “Drugs are only part of the story. The money trail often reveals who financed the operation, who supplied the contraband and who purchased it,” an officer said.
The pattern is no longer confined to Kochi. Across the district, several recent cases involving small-time peddlers dealing in small quantities of narcotics have revealed a similar shift. While cash remains the preferred mode of payment, regular customers who insist on digital transactions are often instructed to transfer money to accounts belonging to friends or trusted associates.
“Low-level dealers have always preferred cash. But they also have regular customers who make online payments. Earlier, many of them received the money directly in their own accounts. Now, they either insist on cash or use mule accounts to move the money,” another senior officer said.
The strategy became apparent following the recent MDMA seizure by Cheranalloor police and Kochi City Dansaf team from a rented house in Edappally. Officers are examining digital-payment records and other financial transactions as part of efforts to identify the wider network behind the accused.
Investigators say the increased use of mule accounts reflects how narcotics networks are adapting to intensified enforcement. While drugs can be moved quickly and mobile phones discarded, financial transactions leave a lasting digital footprint, making money trails an increasingly important tool in identifying suppliers, customers and the organised networks behind street-level peddlers.
