SAMBALPUR: Sambalpur police on Tuesday busted a racket operating through mule bank accounts and arrested three youths for their alleged involvement in facilitating nationwide cybercrime networks.
The accused are Chaturbhuja Deep (21) of Kulubhata in Balangir district, Rahul Bakul (20) of Tamlapada and Prithibi Deep (19) of Dhuturapada, both in Sambalpur town.
Police said a letter was received from the CID of Odisha Crime Branch, alerting about several mule bank accounts linked to cybercrimes were active in Sambalpur town. Acting on the tip-off, Sambalpur SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo formed a special team which conducted raids and apprehended the accused trio.
During the raids, police seized three mobile phones, one laptop, and several documents including passbooks, PAN cards, Aadhaar cards and ATM cards. The seized devices contained fraudulent chat records, social media communications, suspicious transactions, and access to digital wallets, establishing the trio’s involvement in the illegal network.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were opening multiple bank accounts using forged documents and impersonation, before selling access and credentials of these accounts to cybercriminals across India. The mule accounts were allegedly used for layering and laundering money obtained through cyber fraud, Bhamoo said.
The three accused were produced in court on Wednesday. Further investigation is underway to identify and arrest other associates linked to the racket, the SP added.
MULE BANK ACCOUNTS: FIVE HELD IN GANJAM
Berhampur: Beguniapada police in Ganjam district on Tuesday arrested five members of a well-knit racket involved in opening mule bank accounts to facilitate online gaming/betting and money laundering.
The accused are Sushant Sahu (27), Bimal Sahu (34), Pabitra Sahu (32), Sudam Patra (36) and Pradeep Das (34), all of Ganjam district. Ganjam SP Subhendu Patra said the gang led by prime accused Sushant lured unemployed youths of Beguniapada and nearby areas with cash incentives and fake holiday tours to Chennai, Indore, Bhubaneswar, etc.
The accused then collected ATM cards, cheque books, passbooks, Aadhaar cards and linked mobile SIMs of the youths after opening multiple accounts in various banks.
These mule accounts were later handed over to a Chhattisgarh-based handler who used them to receive and layer out huge illegal proceeds generated from online gaming/betting platforms across the country. The gang is believed to have opened more than 80 to 100 mule accounts, said the SP.