Brahmapur: A court in Odisha’s Ganjam district Saturday sentenced five men to three years’ rigorous imprisonment for their involvement in a mule bank account fraud case.
The Judicial Magistrate First Class court at Khallikote convicted the five men — Sushant Sahu, Sudam Patra, Pabitra Sahu, Bimal Kumar Sahu, and Pradeep Das-after examining nine witnesses and relevant documents, said the government counsel.
According to the prosecution, the accused lured young men into opening bank accounts by promising them free travel opportunities and financial gains.
Subsequently, they collected the ATM cards, passbooks, and other personal documents from these individuals and used them as ‘mule accounts’ for unauthorised financial transactions, the prosecution said.
After receiving a complaint, a case was registered at Beguniapada police station, and an investigation was launched under the supervision of Purushottampur SDPO SK Nayak.
During the investigation, data regarding the accounts and financial transactions was gathered from various banks and the five convicts were arrested. Additionally, electronic items such as mobile phones, laptops, ATM cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, chequebooks, and hotel bills were seized, the police said.
