The Jharkhand police have successfully dismantled a cyber fraud ring, uncovering a scam involving approximately ₹30 crore. The cybercriminals used a sophisticated method that involved a network of mule bank accounts. The case highlights the evolving nature of cybercrime and its impact on a wide range of people.
The cybercrime police, operating under the Jharkhand CID, conducted raids across six districts: Ranchi, Lohardaga, Simdega, Palamu, Koderma, and Jamtara. These raids led to the arrest of seven individuals suspected of being involved in the cyber fraud.
Each of the arrested individuals had links to various states in India. Roshan Kumar from Ranchi had ₹10.02 crore in his account, with connections in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. Satish Kumar, also from Ranchi, had ₹6.2 crore linked to Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Jitendra Kumar Pappu from Jamtara had ₹5.1 crore, 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 to 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 links to Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. Rajendra Kumar Saw from Koderma had ₹67 lakh, linked to Delhi.
Authorities recovered substantial evidence, including mobile phones, SIM cards, ATM cards, and checkbooks. The Home Ministry’s Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) analysis revealed that the fraudsters used 15,000 mule bank accounts to conceal the fraudulent transactions. Based on this intelligence, the Jharkhand CID registered a case against 40 accounts with high-value transactions. The investigation revealed that the cybercriminals operated across several Indian states.
Mule accounts are crucial in these schemes. These are bank accounts used by criminals to hide and transfer the money obtained through cyber fraud. The money is moved quickly using UPI, making it challenging to track the source of the funds.