SAMBALPUR: In a major crackdown on cybercrime, Sambalpur police has arrested nine persons including the prime suspect from Jharkhand’s Jamtara, known as the phishing capital of India, for allegedly opening mule accounts to facilitate fraudulent transactions worth around Rs 50 lakh.
The prime accused in the online fraud is Anil Kumar Mandal (37) of Murlidhi village in Jamtara district of Jharkhand. The other accused are Bhisma Padhan (25), Pramod Tandia (36), Uttam Jagdala (36), Achyuta Bira (23), Debendra Majhi (25), Goutam Jagdala (29), Rinku Bag (30) and Srikanta Tandia (25), all from Sambalpur district.
Briefing mediapersons on Friday, Sambalpur SP Mukesh Bhamoo said on September 21, police apprehended Anil near Ainthapali bus stand on basis of credible information. Upon search, police seized 35 bank passbooks, 22 ATM cards, two cheque books, SIM cards, mobile phones, two fake Aadhaar cards besides Rs 930 cash from him. The fake Aadhaar cards had the same photo of Anil with different numbers, indicating the use of forged identities for fraudulent activities.
Anil was formally arrested on September 21 and produced in court. On September 24, police brought him on three-day remand during which he revealed the names of 16 account holders allegedly involved in the racket. The SP said so far, it has been found that an amount of around `50 lakh was credited into 15 mule accounts.
“During interrogation, Anil revealed that with connivance of one Vicky Mandal of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, he entered into a criminal conspiracy to open mule accounts using forged documents for fraudulent transactions. He targeted several account holders of Sambalpur district promising them commission on every transaction,” said Bhamoo.
The SP further informed that the entire racket operated from Jamtara. Anil was acting as an agent here and luring locals. The local operatives, hailing from different villages under Sasan and Jamankira police limits, were providing their bank accounts and identity documents for commission, helping the racket channel money from cyber frauds.
“First, `5,000 was paid to the account holders to open mule accounts. Later, they got money as commission on every transaction. The transactions in these mule accounts could go up to more than a crore of rupees,” he said.
Police registered a case under sections 61 (2), 338, 336 (3), 340 (2), 319 (2), and 318 (4) of BNS. Bhamoo said a manhunt has been launched to nab the other accused involved in the racket. “Verification process is still on and further investigation is underway,” he added.