Phulbani: In a major breakthrough against cyber crime, Kandhamal police have busted a racket involving bank accounts used as “mule accounts” for large-scale online fraud. The Kandhamal Cyber Police Station has arrested five individuals, including an employee of a private finance company, in connection with the case.
Police have seized 16 mule bank deposit accounts from various banks, along with eight ATM cards, one laptop, 11 mobile phones, and one passport from the accused.
Among those arrested is Tusarkanti Das, an employee of a private finance company based in Bhubaneswar. Das hails from Mayurbhanj district. The other four accused—Abhinash Mahapatra, Kiran Kumar Behera, Gopal Singh, and Badal Kumar Swain—are residents under the jurisdiction of Phulbani Town Police Station, Kandhamal ASP informed during a press conference.
According to police, the crackdown followed a letter received from the CID Crime Branch, which revealed that over ₹6 crore had been siphoned off in 22 cyber crime cases, with inputs suggesting the involvement of individuals from Kandhamal district.
Acting on this information, the Kandhamal Cyber Police registered a case, launched an investigation, and subsequently arrested the five accused. The seized bank accounts were allegedly used to park and route defrauded money obtained through cyber fraud operations.
The investigation is ongoing, and police have not ruled out the involvement of more people or wider inter-district links, the ASP said.
This operation underscores the Kandhamal police’s intensified efforts to dismantle local networks that facilitate cyber fraud by providing mule bank accounts.
