Big cyber crime crackdown: 13 held, thousands of mule accounts, bank officials under scanner

A massive cyber fraud network involving bank staff and middlemen has been exposed after coordinated raids across the state, uncovering large-scale misuse of Aadhaar details and illegal money transfers.

Bank account holders across the state have been warned to remain highly cautious while sharing their Aadhaar and personal documents, after cyber police busted a large and organised financial fraud racket operating through fake bank accounts.

In a major breakthrough, Cyber Command officers conducted statewide raids and arrested 13 cyber fraudsters, exposing a deep-rooted network involved in opening thousands of mule bank accounts using documents of poor and vulnerable people. The investigation revealed that these accounts were used to route crores of rupees obtained through cyber frauds and illegal transactions.

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Shockingly, the probe found that staff from reputed banks were also involved, providing crucial support in opening these fake accounts. The gang reportedly misused identity documents of economically weaker sections to create bank accounts, which were later used to receive and transfer fraudulent money. Large sums running into lakhs of rupees were routed through these poor citizens’ accounts, often without their knowledge.

Officials said the accused used these mule accounts to park cheated money and move it across multiple layers, making it difficult to trace. During the investigation, authorities also learned that income tax notices have already been issued to some account holders, who were unknowingly drawn into this illegal network.

Cyber police teams are now probing the case from all possible angles, including the role of banking officials, middlemen, and inter-state cyber crime links. Preliminary findings indicate that similar cyber fraud models are operating across the country, prompting officials to consider sharing intelligence with neighbouring states to dismantle the larger network.

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