In a major crackdown on cyber-enabled financial fraud, Sambalpur Police on Tuesday exposed a well-organised mule account racket and arrested three young men who allegedly created multiple bank accounts using forged documents and sold their access credentials to cybercrime syndicates operating across the country.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Chaturbhuja Deep (21) from Kulubhata in Balangir district, Rahul Bakul (20) from Tamlapada, and Prithibi Deep (19) from Dhuturapada in Sambalpur. Investigators believe the trio had been systematically exploiting loopholes in the banking system by using impersonation and falsified documents to set up fraudulent financial identities.
CID Alert Triggers Raids; Digital Evidence Reveals Scale of Operation
According to officials, the investigation began after the Crime Branch CID of Odisha issued an alert regarding several suspicious mule bank accounts actively linked to cybercrimes traced to the Sambalpur region. Acting on this intelligence, Sambalpur SP constituted a special surveillance and operations team to verify and neutralise the network.
The team conducted coordinated raids at multiple locations and detained the accused. During the operation, police seized three mobile phones, a laptop, and a stack of documents including passbooks, PAN and Aadhaar cards, and ATM cards, all believed to be part of the illegal operation.
Preliminary digital forensics of the seized devices revealed fraudulent chat logs, social media conversations, suspicious transaction trails, and access to digital wallets. Investigators stated that this evidence clearly established the trio’s role in supplying mule accounts to cybercriminals who then used them for routing proceeds of fraud.
Forged Identities, Sold Credentials and a Multi-Layer Laundering System
The probe found that the accused were operating a systematic scheme:
Creating multiple bank accounts under fake identities,
Procuring SIM cards and linking them to these accounts,
and finally selling complete account access—ATM cards, passbooks, SIM-linked OTP access and net banking credentials—to cybercrime handlers.
According to SP mule accounts were primarily being used to layer and launder funds generated through cyber fraud, helping criminals obscure the original transaction trail. The complicity of such accounts, he added, makes it extremely difficult for agencies to trace the core masterminds behind financial cybercrimes.
The three arrested youths were produced before a local court on Wednesday. Police have launched a broader probe to identify additional associates, handlers, and financial trails connected to the racket.
Ganjam Police Expose Second Mule Account Syndicate: Five Held for Aiding Online Betting Network
In a parallel development, Ganjam district police on Tuesday busted another well-organised mule account racket that was facilitating illegal online gaming and betting transactions across India. The Beguniapada Police arrested five members of the network, indicating the widening scale of such operations in Odisha.
The arrested accused include Sushant Sahu (27), Bimal Sahu (34), Pabitra Sahu (32), Sudam Patra (36) and Pradeep Das (34)—all residents of Ganjam.
Ganjam SP Subhendu Patra said the gang targeted unemployed youth from Beguniapada and neighbouring villages, offering cash incentives and even fake holiday trip promises to lure them. Once recruited, the group opened accounts in multiple banks using the youths’ documents and then collected their ATM cards, cheque books, passbooks, Aadhaar cards, and SIM-linked mobile numbers.
Investigators believe the gang created 80 to 100 mule accounts, which were then transferred to a handler based in Chhattisgarh. This handler allegedly used the accounts to channel large volumes of illegal proceeds from online gaming and betting operations.
Odisha Police Intensify Drive Against Cyber-Enabled Financial Networks
The two back-to-back crackdowns highlight the rapidly evolving ecosystem of financial cybercrime, where mule accounts have become the backbone of laundering operations. The anonymity and multi-layer routing they offer make them a preferred tool for both domestic and cross-border cyber networks.
Odisha Police stated that surveillance, digital forensics and intelligence-sharing with central agencies will be further strengthened. The state plans to initiate awareness drives to educate citizens—especially youth—about the risks of sharing documents or handing over bank account access for quick cash.
