3 arrested in cyber fraud racket in Puri

Puri: Cyber police in Puri busted a cyber fraud network operating through mule bank accounts and arrested three persons allegedly involved in illegal financial transactions, the SP said on Friday. The arrests were made during a special "mule account drive" conducted by the cyber police station, Puri, as part of efforts to curb cybercrime and financial fraud.According to the SP, the accused lured innocent people with small monetary incentives and collected their bank account details, ATM cards and SIM cards. These accounts were then used to route and transfer money generated through various cyber fraud activities.
During the investigation, police found that the accused had formed a company named Speeding Exim Pvt Ltd, which was allegedly used as a front to operate the illegal financial network. Multiple mule accounts linked to the company were used to carry out large-scale financial transactions.Preliminary findings suggest that illegal transactions worth nearly Rs 1 crore were facilitated through various mule accounts connected to the network. Police said further investigation is on to identify other persons and networks linked to the racket.The arrested persons have been identified as Ahmed Topan and Abdul Kalam Azad, both residents of Arulpuram in Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu; Abdul Aziz Sheikh (38) of Benipur in West Bengal; and Sushant Kumar Parida of Sobharampur village in Balasore district.During the operation, police seized 15 ATM cards, six SIM cards, seven mobile phones and seven cheque books. Several documents related to Speeding Exim Pvt Ltd were also recovered. Seven cases related to mule bank accounts had earlier been registered at the Cyber police station in Puri. Following the latest operation, the total number of such cases has increased to 10.Puri police appealed to people not to share their bank accounts, ATM cards or SIM cards with unknown persons in exchange for money or other incentives, warning that such actions could lead to serious legal consequences.Citizens have been advised to remain vigilant against cyber fraud and report any suspicious activity to the cyber crime police or Puri police. For assistance, people can contact the cyber helpline at +91-82804 91300.