Bhubaneswar: In a major drive to curb rising cybercrime, the Odisha Police have launched a statewide special campaign titled ‘Operation Cyber Kavach’, targeting mule or benami bank accounts used in online frauds.
The initiative is being implemented under the direction of Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania and is being supervised at the district level by Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) through respective District Cyber Crime Units.
Under the campaign, authorities are identifying mule bank accounts used by cybercriminals and taking stringent legal action against those operating or assisting such accounts.
According to official data, 34,101 mule or benami bank accounts have been verified across the state so far under the operation. Police have also registered 1,111 cybercrime cases linked to mule bank accounts, along with 34 cases involving ATM cash withdrawals, 36 cases involving cheque withdrawals, and 23 cases related to fake SIM cards or PoS devices.
As part of the enforcement drive, 336 accused persons have been arrested, while legal notices have been issued to 6,893 suspected account holders and their associates linked to 186 previously registered FIRs.
District-wise verification and action under the campaign have also been significant. Balangir district police verified 249 benami accounts, registered two cases and issued notices to 27 individuals. Kendujhar district police verified six accounts, registered six cases, arrested two persons and issued notices to four individuals. In Rourkela, police verified 25 benami accounts, registered seven cases and issued notices to four persons.
Similarly, Cuttack district police verified nine accounts, while Nayagarh police verified 273 accounts and issued notices to 30 persons. Police in Subarnapur verified 60 accounts, Bhadrak verified 52 accounts and Mayurbhanj verified three accounts, issuing notices to three individuals.
In the urban police districts, Bhubaneswar UPD verified 177 benami accounts, while Cuttack UPD verified 10 accounts and issued notices to eight persons. Berhampur police issued notices to eight individuals linked to an earlier FIR, and Boudh police verified 10 accounts and issued notices to 10 persons.
Further, Gajapati police verified 19 accounts, Ganjam police 68 accounts and Kandhamal police verified one account while issuing a notice to one person. Dhenkanal police verified 12 accounts, while Kalahandi police verified 63 accounts, arrested one person and issued notices to 14 others.
Police in Koraput verified five accounts, Malkangiri three accounts, and Nuapada 16 accounts. Meanwhile, Rayagada police verified 108 accounts, arrested two persons and issued notices to 61 individuals.
Odisha Police reiterated their commitment to ensuring the safety of digital financial transactions for citizens. DGP Khurania stated that the campaign will be intensified further in the coming days as part of efforts to build a cybercrime-free Odisha.
