Berhampur: A court in Odisha’s Ganjam district has issued a notice to a man for the attachment of his property, allegedly acquired through operating mule bank accounts to aid cybercriminals.
The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Khallikote, issued a 14-day notice to Sushant Sahu of Sankuda under the jurisdiction of Beguniapada police station recently for the attachment of his house and land in Berhampur, with a benchmark value of around Rs 35 lakh, under Section 107(5) of the BNSS, police said.
Police claimed it was the first property attachment case under BNSS in the state.
Ganjam Superintendent of Police Suvendu Kumar Patra said the police had petitioned the court after Sahu allegedly earned money by operating mule accounts in banks.
Sahu was arrested December 2 last for his role in cyberfraud. He reportedly encouraged villagers to sell their bank accounts and identity cards for commissions and had floated a company to facilitate such operations.
Investigations revealed that one of his accounts recorded transactions exceeding Rs 1 crore within three days, which Sahu could not justify, police said.
The probe also found that he purchased property in Berhampur using money obtained through these activities.
Following due diligence and investigation involving officers from the GST and Revenue departments, police moved the court for attachment of his property. Two cases remain pending against Sahu at Khallikote and the cyber police station in Berhampur, police said.
