In a significant crackdown on financial fraud, police in Odisha's Ganjam district have dismantled a sophisticated racket involved in creating 'mule' bank accounts used to launder money from cybercrimes. The operation led to the arrest of four individuals who acted as brokers, luring people with cash incentives to open accounts that were later controlled by cybercriminals.
The Racket and The Arrests
Acting on intelligence, the police team apprehended the four accused on Sunday. They have been identified as Pabitra Pradhan (25) and Sankarshana Sahu (23) from Humma, along with Anil Kumar Patra (24) and Gagan Dalai (25) from Chhatrapur. According to investigators, Pradhan functioned as the main local agent, with the other three working as sub-agents under him.
The modus operandi was systematic. The sub-agents would approach individuals and offer them cash, typically around Rs 2,000, to open new bank accounts. Once the accounts were operational, the account holders would hand over all associated documents—including ATM cards, cheque books, passbooks, linked Aadhaar cards, and mobile numbers—to the agents. Control of these accounts was then transferred to a handler based in New Delhi.
Scale of the Operation and Financial Trail
Police have concrete evidence from two such mule accounts opened in May in the names of local residents. Rs 9 lakh was deposited into these two accounts without the knowledge or consent of the nominal account holders. Inspector in-charge of Chhatrapur police station, Sabyasachi Malla, stated that the sub-agents are suspected of having opened over 100 bank accounts using this cash incentive model.
The investigation revealed a commission-based structure. The sub-agents received a payment for every new account they secured, and main agent Pabitra Pradhan, in turn, earned a commission from the Delhi-based handler for each account supplied. Chandan Ghadei, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Chhatrapur, confirmed that crucial evidence, including five mobile phones, two passbooks, an Aadhaar card, and an ATM card, was seized from the arrested accused.
Ongoing Investigation and Wider Network
The probe was initiated after the state crime branch issued an alert about several mule accounts linked to active cybercrime cases being traced back to the Ganjam district. Police believe the main orchestrator operates from New Delhi, employing a network of agents across states to build this infrastructure for laundering illicit funds.
"It is a well-established racket and we are trying to apprehend all its members," Inspector Malla emphasized. SDPO Ghadei added that several other individuals are likely involved, indicating that the police are digging deeper to unravel the full extent of the network. The focus now is on tracking the Delhi handler and identifying all the bank accounts misused in this scheme to defraud people across the country.
