Bhubaneswar: In a decisive move against cybercrime, the Odisha Police has successfully cracked down on mule bank accounts and fake SIM networks under “Operation Cyber Kavach”, achieving significant results across the state. The operation, conducted from February 13 to March 12, 2026, was announced by DGP Yogesh Bahadur Khurania at a press conference at Police Bhawan on Tuesday.
During the campaign, 39,714 mule bank accounts were verified. Police identified 1,315 active mule accounts, 36 ATM cash withdrawals, 47 cheque withdrawals, and 24 fake SIM/PoS devices. A total of 379 persons were arrested, including 349 linked to mule accounts, nine for fake SIMs, three for ATM cash withdrawals, and 18 for cheque fraud. Additionally, 7,549 suspected account holders and accomplices received police notices.
The crackdown targeted cyber fraud networks, fake SIM usage, online betting, informal money transfer (hawala) transactions, and cryptocurrency scams in multiple districts, including Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Ganjam, Nuapada, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Puri, Jajpur, and Dhenkanal. Inter-state gangs were also apprehended, and police seized numerous SIM cards, ATM cards, digital devices, and other incriminating evidence.
A review meeting held on February 11 at the State Police Headquarters, chaired by DGP Khurania, paved the way for these operations, which were executed under the supervision of district SPs.
Key District-wise Operations
Jharsuguda: Police arrested an inter-state mule account gang defrauding Rs 5.25 crore, including the main accused from Uttar Pradesh. Another six persons were apprehended in a Rs 12 crore fraud case. A bank employee was also caught diverting 42 mule kits, with Rs 2.86 crore in transactions seized.
Sambalpur: A gang involved in Rs 1.3 crore mule account fraud was dismantled, with five arrests; two more were caught in a Rs 32 lakh case from Delhi.
Rourkela: Six gang members involved in mule accounts, online betting, and hawala were arrested, with Rs 30.65 lakh recovered.
Keonjhar: Five persons were arrested for fraud via 58 mule accounts, uncovering Rs 1.14 crore in transactions.
Sundargarh: Three people were apprehended for defrauding a family of Rs 4.19 crore through mule accounts.
Ganjam: Multiple frauds were reported, with arrests including Rs 2 crore in Beguniapada, Rs 1 crore in cryptocurrency fraud in Chhatrapur, Rs 4 crore in Buguda, and Rs 1.5 crore in Asika.
Nuapada: Six persons were arrested in an inter-state fraud case worth Rs 3 crore.
Bhubaneswar: Four people were arrested in a national mule syndicate using fake KYC documents and pre-activated SIM cards. Luxury cars, MacBooks, and 37 debit cards were seized.
Cuttack: Five persons were arrested in a Rs 29.33 crore mule account network, with SIM cards, gold, and vehicles seized. Four more were apprehended in an Rs 88 lakh sextortion case.
Balasore: A mule account gang worth Rs 58 lakh was busted, and 147 ATM cards were seized. A corporate account hacking case using the SMS Forwarder APK was also exposed.
Bhadrak: Three people were arrested in a Rs 84 lakh fraud that involved local youths’ bank accounts.
Puri: The main accused was arrested in a Rs 45 lakh fake bank account case, with two others detained for KYC misuse.
Jajpur: A complex racket involving fraud, mule accounts, and illegal cryptocurrency mining was dismantled, with digital devices seized.
Dhenkanal: Banks issued notices following investigations into suspicious transactions worth Rs 48 lakh via digital payment gateways.
The operation was supported by intelligence from the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs. Its success was credited to coordination among the CID Crime Branch, bank nodal teams, and telecom providers.
DGP Khurania commended the efforts of SPs, Range IGs, Crime Branch officers, and banking and telecom personnel, highlighting the role of the media in spreading cyber awareness. He reiterated that the Odisha Police would continue its mission to make the state cybercrime-free.
Present at the press conference were Vinaytosh Mishra, DGP, CID-CB, Odisha, Cuttack; Sarthak Sarangi, IG, CID-CB, Odisha; and Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, SP (Crime Branch).
