Cops bust major ‘mule accounts’ network linked to cyber fraud, sextortion

Bhopal: In a major crackdown on cybercrime, police uncovered a network of 180 ‘mule bank accounts' used to route nearly Rs 15 crore in illegal transactions linked to cyber fraud, sextortion and online gaming platforms in MP's Narshingpur district, officials said. Police have so far arrested 17 people in connection with the racket, while ensuring the closure of 35 mule accounts. Further investigation is underway to identify the wider network involved in the illegal financial operations. According to sleuths, the crackdown came in response to a flood of complaints over time that certain individuals in the district were approaching the public, persuading them to provide access to their bank accounts, passbooks and ATM cards in exchange for small financial incentives. These accounts were subsequently used to channel large volumes of illicit funds linked to cybercrime. Narsinghpur SP Hrishikesh Meena constituted a special team to probe the allegations and identify those involved. During the course of the investigation, the special team collected details of accounts across various banks and conducted a detailed analysis of transaction patterns. Police said the probe revealed that around 180 bank accounts belonging to different individuals in the district were being used as mule accounts to transfer funds obtained through cyber fraud and related crimes. Correspondence has been sent to the banks concerned, requesting an immediate halt to transactions from these accounts while further scrutiny is carried out. Investigators said the financial trails showed that these accounts had been used to facilitate illegal transactions worth approximately Rs 15 crore. The funds were allegedly routed through the accounts as part of cyber fraud and sextortion schemes operating both within the district and beyond state borders. Police said the accused would receive money obtained through fraud in these mule accounts and then transfer it through multiple accounts to conceal the origin of the funds. In several instances, the money was routed through online gaming platforms before being transferred to other accounts or withdrawn in cash. Police said the network was uncovered through a combination of technical evidence, bank transaction records and interrogation of suspects. The 17 arrested have been sent to judicial custody amid the ongoing probe, the police said. Multiple cases were registered against the accused under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police have also initiated preventive action against several other suspects identified during the investigation. In the operations carried out so far, police have seized nine bank passbooks, four ATM cards and nine mobile phones believed to have been used in managing the mule accounts and coordinating financial transactions.