Sonepur: Police in Subarnapur district have arrested nine persons and issued notices to 26 others for allegedly operating money mule accounts used in cyber fraud.
Subarnapur Superintendent of Police Narayan Nayak said the action was taken under a special drive, Operation Cyber Kavach. The accused allegedly allowed their bank accounts to be used by cyber criminals to transfer fraud proceeds. Police said transactions worth about Rs 7.82 crore were routed through these accounts.
Mobile phones, ATM cards and passbooks were seized from the accused, who have been produced before a court. Data for 2024–25 show that around 2,400 suspicious bank accounts exist in banks across the district.
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Police have verified 1,501 of them so far. Investigations revealed that some individuals allowed their accounts to be used as money mule accounts, helping cyber fraudsters transfer money through mobile applications. They allegedly received about Rs 800 commission for every Rs 1 lakh transferred.
Around 500 suspicious accounts linked to individuals from the neighbouring Boudh district in banks in Subarnapur have been frozen. Police urged people not to trust lucrative offers from unknown phone numbers.
PNN