Sambalpur police bust cybercrime racket, Jharkhand man among 10 arrested; Jamtara link emerges

In a major breakthrough, Sambalpur police busted a cybercrime racket that was allegedly operating through multiple mule bank accounts in the city on Friday.  According to sources, the prime accused, Anil Kumar Mandal from Jharkhand, along with nine account holders from different areas of Sambalpur, have been arrested in connection with the case.

Police investigations revealed that the accused had opened 35 bank accounts across various banks in the names of these individuals, which were being used as mule accounts for illegal transactions. Authorities have seized two cheque books, 22 ATM cards, five mobile SIM cards, two mobile phones, and Aadhaar cards linked to the accounts.

According to the police, Mandal had lured citizens with promises of easy money, sometimes up to Rs 5,000, and convinced them to open bank accounts in their names. Once the accounts were operational, he would collect the passbooks, ATM cards, and PIN numbers to carry out cybercrime activities.

The operation was reportedly planned and coordinated from Jamtara in Jharkhand, a region notorious for cyber fraud. The accused used the mule accounts to withdraw money, sharing a portion with the account holders while keeping the majority for themselves.

Sambalpur police officials confirmed that further investigations are underway to trace the complete financial trail and identify other possible accomplices involved in the racket.

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“The Ainthapali police busted the cybercrime racket and over 35 mule accounts used for illegal financial transactions have been frozen, along with cheque books, passbooks, and ATMs have also been seized. The account holders earned commissions by withdrawing money, while Anil Kumar Mandal acted as the main agent behind the racket,” said Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo, Sambalpur SP.