Odisha Police, on Monday, said they busted an organised cybercrime syndicate, resulting in the arrest of seven members of the gang accused of large-scale money laundering and fraud through the use of mule bank accounts.
Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani stated that a targeted operation was launched following specific intelligence inputs, leading to the apprehension of the seven suspects.
“We have seized 80 passbooks, 50 debit cards, 25 mobile phones, four laptops, 10 Aadhaar cards and 20 PAN cards from the accused,” he said.
A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Further investigations are currently underway to identify other members of the syndicate and explore potential inter-state or international connections, according to the SP.
Police revealed that the gang specialised in acquiring and managing bank accounts opened in the names of unsuspecting individuals, mostly residing in Rourkela and its surrounding regions.
These mule accounts were reportedly used to funnel fraudulent funds and facilitate various cybercrimes across India and in foreign jurisdictions, police said.
The accused reportedly coordinated the opening of these bank accounts by activating SIM cards and obtaining identity documents through impersonation and the use of forged paperwork.
Investigators revealed that the mule accounts were sold or rented to cybercriminals across the country and used as pass-through accounts to receive proceeds of cyber fraud.
The syndicate reportedly charged between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for each rented or sold account, with the profits being split among the gang members, police said.
Authorities have already linked these specific accounts to approximately 200 cybercrime complaints across the country, identified through the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Samanvaya’ portal under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
