Police revealed that 7200 bank accounts were flagged, while the number could go up to 20,000 accounts. The transaction amounts have not yet been disclosed, but reports suggest that they could be in crores.
Srinagar: Over 7000 bank accounts were seized and dozens arrested in a major cybercrime case in the Kashmir Valley. Jammu and Kashmir Police have intensified operations against cybercrime and have over 20,000 such bank accounts on their radar. More than 50 people have been detained for the investigation of the case.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police revealed that 7200 bank accounts were flagged, while the number could go further to over 20,000 accounts. The transaction amounts have not yet been disclosed by the investigative agencies, but reports suggest that they could be in crores.
These ‘mule accounts’ are basically a third-party account used by cybercriminals to obscure the black money trail. The scammers recruit people via social media platforms to open these bank accounts, and these are kept active for a short period of time. During this time, illicit funds are deposited, and the accounts are swiftly closed.
“We had received a complaint, and the cyber team started an investigation. During the investigation, we got to know that there are many mule accounts operating in the region. Mule accounts are those accounts that are used for cyber fraud on a rental basis. The cybercriminals give commission to these account holders. We approached I4C, which is the cyber coordination centre, and with their help we managed to identify 3400 accounts, and later we managed to unmask 7200 accounts. We have initiated proceedings against 50 people, two kingpins have been arrested, and we are sure more arrests will be taking place in the coming time. The investigations are on,” said Iftikhar Talib, SP Cyber Cell, Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Police have filed four FIRs in this case so far. All the people detained will be questioned and investigated about who directed them to do so.
As all accounts require signatures and official documentation of the account holder, the people got alarmed on noticing big transactions in their accounts. A lot of them reached out to a social activist, who became a whistleblower and took them to the police and civil administration.
“There were some victims who had come to me, as I am from the downtown area of Srinagar. These victims told me that our accounts have had transactions of around one million Indian rupees and above, and our accounts have a debit freeze. They told me that they got links via social media from some local people who told them that if they fill in account details, they will be given a daily commission of Rs 5000 or Rs 10,000, depending on the transactions. I took them to the police and civil administration and filed a case. I am glad that SSP Srinagar took action and identified 7200 mule accounts. I am sure there are over 20,000 plus such accounts,” said Harris, a social activist.
Some victims who got lured into the cybercrime racket recall that they gave the bank account details on the premise that they would be paid money, but after they shared the details, all the money was withdrawn from their accounts.
“We had an account in the JK Bank and received a message on social media asking for bank details and were told that we would be given a commission. We gave details without thinking too much, as we were in debt. All the money was debited from our account. I lost all the money,” said a victim.
Police officials said that the investigations revealed that many accounts belong to unsuspecting individuals or enterprises but are controlled remotely by fraudsters operating both within Jammu and Kashmir and outside.
This Story is Edit and Report By WION