Bhubaneswar: Jharsuguda emerged at the top with 12 arrests, including one from Uttar Pradesh, in interstate mule account rackets linked to Rs 5.25 crore and Rs 12 crore frauds during the crackdown across Odisha under ‘Operation Cyber Kavach’.
In another case, a bank employee was found involved in diverting mule kits used for transactions worth Rs 2.86 crore.
Addressing a presser, DGP Y B Khurania said that 39,714 mule accounts were verified and 379 accused were arrested from February 13 to March 12 as police busted major interstate rackets. Additionally, notices were issued to 7,549 suspected account holders and facilitators whose accounts showed suspicious activity.
“The focus was on dismantling the core infrastructure of online scams, including mule bank accounts used to launder illicit funds, fake SIM cards, unauthorised ATM and cheque withdrawals, and networks linked to online betting, hawala transactions, and cryptocurrency fraud,” he said.
The operation saw intensive action in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Kendujhar, Sundargarh, Ganjam, Nuapada, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Puri, Jajpur, and Dhenkanal districts. Multiple inter-state gangs were busted, leading to seizures of numerous SIM cards, ATM cards, digital devices, vehicles, gold, and other incriminating documents.
“We are committed to neutralising the facilitators and breaking these networks,” the DGP emphasised.
Key district-level highlights:
Sambalpur: A Rs 1.3 crore mule fraud gang saw 5 arrests and another 2 were arrested from Delhi in a Rs 32 lakh case.
Rourkela: 6 members of a gang linked to mule accounts, online betting, and hawala, arrested and Rs 30.65 lakh seized.
Keonjhar: 5 arrested in a case involving 58 mule accounts and Rs 1.14 crore in fraudulent transactions.
Sundargarh: 3 of family nabbed for Rs 4.19 crore mule fraud.
Ganjam: Multiple arrests, including 5 in a Rs 2 crore case (Beguniapada), 4 in a Rs 1 crore crypto fraud (Chatrapur), and others in cases worth Rs 4 crore (Buguda) and Rs 1.5 crore (Aska).
Nuapada: 6 were arrested in a Rs 3 crore inter-state fraud involving 3 mule accounts.
Bhubaneswar: A national mule syndicate using fake KYC and pre-activated SIMs was busted, leading to arrest of 4. Luxury cars, MacBooks, and 37 debit cards were also seized.
Cuttack: Five were arrested for a Rs 29.33 crore mule network with seizures of SIMs, gold, and vehicles and another 4 in an Rs 88 lakh sextortion case.
Balasore: A mule gang worth Rs 58 lakh, 47 ATM cards seized and corporate account hacking via a technical SMS forwarder APK uncovered.
Bhadrak: 3 arrested for Rs 84 lakh fraud using local youths’ accounts for commissions.
Puri: Main accused in a Rs 45 lakh fake account case nabbed and 2 others in KYC misuse.
Jajpur : A complex racket involving impersonation of government officials, mule accounts, and illegal crypto mining was busted and one person was arrested.
Dhenkanal: Rs 48 lakh suspicious transactions via digital payment gateways were investigated and issued notices to banks.
The campaign was launched following a high-level review meeting on February 11 chaired by the DGP, directing all district SPs to lead targeted actions against mule networks and fake SIMs.
Khurania praised the dedication of district SPs, Range IGs, Crime Branch officers, banking, and telecom authorities. He highlighted the media’s role in cyber awareness and reaffirmed the police’s commitment to building a cybercrime-free Odisha through sustained efforts. DGP (Crime Branch) Vinay Tosh Mishra, IG (Crime Branch) Dr. Sarthak Sarangi, and SP (Crime Branch) Paramar Smith were present.
