Indore: The Crime Branch has arrested two men for allegedly allowing a bank account to be used as a mule account in a multi-state cyber fraud operation.
According to police, the account was allegedly used in connection with cyber offences reported across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana. Records showed 10 cyber fraud complaints linked to the account in these seven states.
Police said the action was taken under Operation Matrix after information received from the State Cyber Police Headquarters, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) flagged a Bank of India account at the Vijay Nagar branch as suspicious.
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Investigators identified the account as being registered in the name of Yash Sharma, a photographer from Dharampuri. During the investigation into the account’s operation and transactions, police allegedly found that it was being operated by Jatin Chandel, a private company employee and resident of New Gauri Nagar. Both men were subsequently questioned by investigators.
Records available on the cybercrime portal showed 10 complaints of cyber fraud registered against the bank account from different states. The complaints indicated that the account had allegedly been used in connection with cyber offences reported in different parts of the country. Police are now examining the financial links between the account and the cases registered in the seven states.
Based on the preliminary investigation and available evidence, the Crime Branch registered an FIR against Yash Sharma and Jatin Chandel under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Both were accused of allegedly committing cheating with a shared criminal intention and were subsequently arrested.
According to police, mule accounts can be used to receive, transfer or route money allegedly obtained through cyber fraud. In such cases, a bank account may be registered in one person’s name while being operated by another individual or a group allegedly involved in cybercrime. Investigators are now trying to determine how the account was actually used and where funds received in the account were transferred.
The Crime Branch is also examining suspicious financial transactions carried out through the account. Investigators are trying to establish whether other people were involved along with Sharma and Chandel and whether the account formed part of a larger interstate cybercrime network. The discovery of links to 10 complaints across seven states has widened the scope of the investigation.
Investigators are examining bank records, mobile numbers associated with the account, SIM cards and other digital evidence to trace the accused persons’ contacts and financial transactions. Police are also looking into the alleged links between the account and the cyber fraud cases registered in different states.
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