Anuppur mule racket busted: 7 held in Dubai-linked ATM scam

Bhopal: Police in Anuppur have unearthed an international mule account racket with links to Dubai, arresting a key accused from Mumbai and seizing a large cache of ATM cards, SIM cards and digital devices used to route illicit funds. With this arrest, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to seven, officials said.The Kotma police identified the Mumbai-based accused as Deepak Yadav alias Philip, who was allegedly coordinating with masterminds operating from Dubai. During the operation, police recovered 145 ATM cards, 23 SIM cards, 20 passbooks, 14 mobile phones, a laptop and an internet router from his possession. Earlier, on Feb 28, three other accused were arrested and 19 ATM cards were seized. In total, investigators have so far seized 165 ATM cards and 18 mobile phones linked to the racket.According to police, the syndicate used bank accounts opened in the names of villagers from Anuppur district to channel large-scale illegal transactions for handlers based in Dubai. The operation involved procuring ATM cards and linked documents, which were then sent via parcels to overseas operators. The gang is suspected to have been withdrawing and transferring between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 12 lakh daily through these accounts.The case came to light following a complaint by a villager, which led investigators to uncover a wider network. During the probe, police found that local operatives allegedly lured villagers with promises of govt benefits and got bank accounts opened in their names. The ATM cards, passbooks and SIM cards were then collected by the accused and routed through Mumbai to Dubai.Superintendent of Police Moti-ur-Rehman said the scale of the racket appears to be significant. "So far we have come across around 250 bank accounts being used as mule accounts, and if all transactions are taken into account, it could run into crores. The matter came to light after we found a few youths carrying multiple ATM cards and passbooks. Their interrogation led us to a Mumbai-based accused, who in turn revealed links to a Dubai-based mastermind. We have obtained his passport details and the process to issue a lookout notice is underway. They appear to have lured poor people and purchased their accounts for small sums; the full picture will emerge after detailed investigation," he told TOI.Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and are also examining the possible role of bank employees in facilitating the opening and operation of these accounts. Efforts are on to trace and bring to book the Dubai-based masterminds, while further investigation is underway to establish the full extent of the financial trail.