Rourkela Police bust cybercrime racket, seven arrested

Rourkela (Odisha): Odisha Police on Monday said they have uncovered an organised cybercrime syndicate and arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in large-scale online fraud and money laundering through mule bank accounts.

Rourkela Superintendent of Police Nitesh Wadhwani said the arrests were made following a special operation launched on the basis of intelligence inputs. During searches, police seized 80 bank passbooks, 50 debit cards, 25 mobile phones, four laptops, 10 Aadhaar cards and 20 PAN cards from the accused.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Police said further investigation is underway to trace other members of the syndicate and to examine possible inter-state and international links.

According to investigators, the gang was involved in arranging and operating bank accounts opened in the names of unsuspecting individuals, mostly from Rourkela and nearby areas. These accounts were allegedly used to channel money generated from cyber frauds across India and even abroad.

Police said the accused used forged documents and impersonation to open bank accounts, activate SIM cards and obtain identity papers. The so-called mule accounts were then sold or rented to cybercriminals and used as temporary channels to receive and move illegal funds.

The accounts were reportedly rented out for amounts ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 each, with the money shared among members of the syndicate. Officials said these accounts have been linked to around 200 cybercrime complaints registered across the country, as identified through the Samanvaya portal of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

(with inputs from agencies)