Patna: The Cyber Crime and Security Unit (CCSU) has intensified its crackdown on a racket involved in providing “mule” bank accounts to cyber fraudsters, with investigators finding the alleged involvement of employees from two banks in Patna district.
The action follows a review of a cyber fraud case registered at Salimpur Police Station, where investigators uncovered suspicious activities linked to officials of Canara Bank’s Salimpur branch and the Bank of Baroda branch in Bakhtiyarpur.
According to the investigation, the branch manager of Canara Bank was on leave on the day nearly 100 bank accounts were opened. During that period, the manager’s official banking tablet was allegedly operated by a private contractual employee, who used it to facilitate the opening of the accounts. Police have obtained an arrest warrant against the branch manager, who is currently absconding.
Officials said the roles of five other bank employees and several alleged associates of cyber criminals are also under investigation, and efforts are underway to trace them.
Women Lured With False Promise of Government Benefits
Investigators revealed that at the beginning of the year, fraudsters targeted residents of Saidpur, Moradpur and Sundarpur villages under the Salimpur police station limits. They allegedly organised a camp at a marriage hall owned by Kundan Kumar near Jagdamba Sthan in Narauli village, where villagers, particularly women, were told that bank accounts were being opened to receive government assistance for the construction and repair of household toilets.
More than 200 women reportedly opened bank accounts during the camp. However, the accused allegedly retained their passbooks and ATM cards, giving account holders little or no control over the accounts.
The fraud came to light in March after authorities detected suspicious financial transactions involving the accounts. Investigators found that illegal transactions worth several crores of rupees had been routed through the accounts within a span of three months.
The case was subsequently transferred to the Cyber Police Station and the Cyber Crime and Security Unit for detailed investigation.
So far, police have arrested bank employee Dhirendra Kumar, marriage hall owner Kundan Kumar, and Awadh Rai, a resident of Moradpur, in connection with the case.
860 Mule Accounts Identified in Patna
As part of the statewide Cyber Prahar 3.0 campaign, authorities have identified 5,035 mule bank accounts across Bihar that were allegedly used for cyber fraud.
Of these, 704 accounts have been verified so far, with investigators finding that they received approximately Rs 63 crore linked to cyber fraud.
In Patna district alone, police have identified 860 mule accounts. Authorities have registered 16 cases related to mule accounts in the district and arrested 48 accused as part of the ongoing investigation.
Officials said the drive against mule accounts will continue as part of efforts to dismantle financial networks that facilitate online fraud and cybercrime.
