In a significant crackdown on cybercrime, the Jharkhand CID has exposed a sophisticated fraud operation involving approximately ₹30 crore. The criminals utilized an innovative method involving mule bank accounts to carry out their schemes. This method affected a wide range of individuals.
Raids were conducted in six districts across Jharkhand, including Ranchi, Lohardaga, Simdega, Palamu, Koderma, and Jamtara. Seven cybercriminals were apprehended as a result of these raids.
The investigation revealed that the arrested individuals operated across multiple states. For example, Roshan Kumar, a resident of Ranchi, was found to have ₹10.02 crore in his account, with links to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. Another Ranchi resident, Satish Kumar, had ₹6.2 crore in his mule account, with connections to Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Jitendra Kumar Pappu from Jamtara had ₹5.1 crore in his account, with ties to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Delhi. Nurez Ansari from Lohardaga held ₹5.05 crore, with connections in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal.
Pranranjan Sinha from Palamu had ₹1.06 crore, linked to Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan. Ganesh Chikk Badaik from Simdega held ₹3.02 crore, with connections to Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. Rajendra Kumar Saw from Koderma had ₹67 lakh, with links to Delhi.
Authorities seized several pieces of evidence, including mobile phones, SIM cards, ATM cards, passbooks, checkbooks, and WhatsApp chats. The Home Ministry’s Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) identified the use of 15,000 mule bank accounts to conceal fraudulent transactions. Following this, the Jharkhand CID registered a case against 40 accounts with high-value transactions. The investigation uncovered that the network of the arrested cybercriminals spanned several Indian states.
Mule accounts are essential tools in cyber fraud, allowing criminals to hide and transfer illicit funds. These accounts are opened in the names of other people. Money obtained through fraud is deposited into these accounts. After receiving the fraudulent money, cybercriminals use UPI to transfer funds quickly. This process makes it difficult to trace the origin and movement of the money.