Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Mar 12: In a major crackdown on mule bank accounts, the State Cyber Command Unit has arrested two cyber fraudsters from Mangaluru who allegedly maintained links with Chinese cybercriminals.
The operation was conducted under the leadership of Pronob Mohanty, additional DGP, cyber crime and narcotics, leading to the arrest of Mohammed Anees and Saleeth Ahmed, both residents of Mangaluru.
According to police, the accused obtained bank account details from members of the public under the guise of a trading business. The details were later used to facilitate cyber fraud operations. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, officials tracked down and arrested the two accused.
During the operation, police seized four mobile phone handsets, 18 debit cards, 17 bank passbooks, six cheque books, 1,479.31 USDT (cryptocurrency), and a car from the accused.
Investigations revealed that the China-linked mule account racket functioned in an organised and systematic manner. As Chinese cyber fraudsters sought cryptocurrency at lower prices, the arrested accused allegedly purchased cryptocurrency from Indians at cheaper rates.
They remained in contact with Chinese cyber fraudsters through WhatsApp and Telegram, and later sold the same cryptocurrency to them at higher prices. In return for the crypto transactions, the accused received payments in Indian rupees.
To facilitate these dealings, the accused collected bank account details from residents of Mangaluru.
Police said more than 70 bank accounts were gathered and handed over to the Chinese operators. The Chinese cyber fraudsters then transferred money into these accounts, which was later found to have been generated through cyber fraud.
Investigators said the accused were aware that the funds were linked to cybercrime, but allegedly continued assisting the foreign fraudsters in pursuit of financial gain.
Officials also revealed that 37 bank accounts used in the racket are linked to more than 88 complaints registered across the country. Police are now conducting further investigations into the financial transactions carried out through these accounts.