Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Police arrested seven people in two separate cases on Saturday for allegedly supplying bank accounts for cyber fraud transactions. While Hira Nagar police arrested four men for allegedly renting out bank accounts, Vijay Nagar police arrested three people for allegedly buying and selling mule and fake bank accounts.
Police seized SIM cards, ATM/debit cards, bank passbooks, chequebooks and mobile phones during the two operations.
Hira Nagar police arrested four men for allegedly renting out bank accounts for cyber fraud transactions. Police also seized hundreds of SIM cards, ATM cards and bank passbooks from the suspects.
According to police, the initial investigation revealed suspicious transactions of around Rs 2 crore through the accounts. Police also found individual transactions of around Rs 40 lakh each.
Police received information that some people were opening bank accounts in others' names and allowing them to be used to transfer money linked to cyber fraud.
Acting on the information, police raided the suspected locations and arrested Surendra Singh Chauhan of Nehru Nagar, Mohit alias Anmol Kushwah of Panchu Kumhar Ki Chawl, Amitesh Raghuvanshi of Guna district and Shyam Raghuvanshi from Ashoknagar district.
Police said information received through the government cybercrime coordination portal indicated that the bank accounts were being used for illegal transactions linked to cyber fraud.
The suspects allegedly have previous cases of cyber fraud and other crimes registered against them and have also been jailed earlier in cyber fraud cases. Police are seeking their remand for further questioning and investigating the case to identify others involved in the network.
Three arrested for buying, selling mule bank accounts
Vijay Nagar police arrested Dilip Kushwah, Vishwraj Singh Jhala and Vanshraj Modi for allegedly buying and selling mule and fake bank accounts used for cyber fraud. Police seized seven ATM/debit cards, six SIM cards, bank passbooks, chequebooks and mobile phones.
During questioning, the suspects allegedly told police that they provided bank accounts opened in other people's names to fraudsters, along with ATM/debit cards and linked SIM cards.
Police said a savings account was being sold for around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, while a current account was sold for around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.50 lakh. Suspicious transactions involving lakhs of rupees were found in the accounts.
Police also found evidence on their mobile phones related to the illegal trade. The suspects allegedly provided their own bank accounts to others to make quick, illegal money.
Police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and the IT Act. Further cyber and financial investigation is underway.
