Jharkhand authorities have exposed a major cyber fraud operation, revealing a complex scheme that defrauded investors of approximately ₹30 crore. The investigation, led by the Cyber Police under the Jharkhand CID, resulted in the arrest of seven individuals involved in the fraudulent activities. The criminals used a network of 15,000 mule bank accounts to facilitate their illicit transactions.
The arrested individuals are accused of using mule accounts to launder money obtained through cyber fraud, with the funds disguised as investments. The raids, carried out in six districts across Jharkhand, led to the seizure of multiple items including mobile phones, SIM cards, ATM cards, and other documents.
Among those arrested, Roshan Kumar and Satish Kumar from Ranchi were found to have accounts holding significant amounts. Their activities were linked to multiple states across India. Also arrested were Jitendra Kumar Pappu from Jamtara, Nurez Ansari from Lohardaga, and others who were found to have large sums in their mule accounts and connections to numerous other states.
The investigation was initiated after the Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) identified the widespread use of mule accounts by cybercriminals in Jharkhand. The authorities have been able to uncover an intricate network. The investigation is ongoing, and the authorities are working on identifying additional individuals involved in the scheme. The fraudsters are believed to have exploited these mule accounts to transfer money rapidly, using UPI and other digital payment methods. This made tracking the financial trails extremely difficult.
The police are currently investigating the origin of the funds and are tracing the network of the cybercriminals across the country.