Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police have intensified their crackdown on cyber crime networks across the state through a special statewide drive titled ‘Operation Cyber Kavach’, aimed at dismantling the financial backbone of cyber fraudsters.
Launched under the direction of Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, the operation is being carried out by District Cyber Crime Units under the direct supervision of district Superintendents of Police and Deputy Commissioners of Police. The Cyber Crime Unit of the CID Crime Branch is coordinating the drive across the state.
The primary objective of the operation is to dismantle the financial infrastructure that supports cyber criminals, particularly through mule or benami bank accounts used for fraudulent transactions.
According to official data, police have verified a total of 37,094 mule or benami bank accounts across Odisha so far under the operation. During the crackdown, authorities registered 1,185 cases related to mule bank accounts, 36 cases involving ATM withdrawals, 41 cases linked to cheque withdrawals, and 23 cases related to fake SIM cards and PoS devices.
Police have arrested 365 accused persons in connection with the cases, while legal notices have been issued to 7,276 suspected account holders and accomplices linked to 192 previously registered FIRs.
The operation has seen active participation from police units across districts. In Keonjhar, police verified 95 anonymous accounts, registered eight cases, arrested three persons, and issued notices to five individuals.
In Rourkela, police checked 75 benami accounts and registered 57 cases related to mule bank accounts, along with one case involving ATM withdrawals and four cases related to cheque withdrawals, issuing notices to 33 persons.
Similarly, Bhadrak police verified 145 benami accounts, registering one mule account case and issuing notices to two individuals.
Police in Bhubaneswar Urban Police District (UPD) checked 347 benami accounts, registered three cases, and arrested nine persons, while Cuttack UPD police verified 328 accounts, registered two cases, and issued notices to 13 individuals.
Elsewhere, Jagatsinghpur police verified 20 accounts, Nayagarh police checked 115 accounts and issued notices to 10 persons, while Subarnapur police verified 238 accounts and arrested one accused in connection with an old FIR. Puri police also arrested one person linked to a previous case.
In other districts, Balasore police checked 29 accounts, Mayurbhanj police verified five accounts and issued notices to five individuals, and Berhampur police checked 31 accounts, issuing notices to 11 persons related to an old FIR.
Boudh police verified 123 accounts and issued notices to 123 individuals, while Ganjam police checked 15 accounts and issued notice to one person linked to an earlier case. Kandhamal police verified one account and issued notices to two individuals.
Meanwhile, account verification drives were also conducted in Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, and Koraput, where police verified seven, twelve, and nineteen accounts, respectively. In Malkangiri, police issued notices to two persons in connection with an ATM robbery case.
Odisha Police stated that it remains committed to ensuring the safety of digital financial transactions of citizens. Officials added that ‘Operation Cyber Kavach’ will continue with greater intensity in the coming days as part of efforts to make Odisha free from cyber crime.
