Bihar Police's 'Cyber Prahar 2.0' has led to the arrest of 141 individuals involved in operating mule bank accounts used for facilitating cyber fraud across the country, exposing a network of financial crime and potential bank employee collusion.
Key Points
- Bihar Police arrested 141 individuals in a state-wide operation targeting mule bank accounts used for cyber fraud.
- The 'Cyber Prahar 2.0' initiative resulted in 86 FIRs being registered across Bihar.
- The crackdown uncovered instances of bank employees colluding in the operation of fake accounts.
- Cyber criminals were found to be exploiting the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme through mule accounts and Aadhaar-enabled payment systems.
- Bihar Police identified over 100 fake SIM card sellers whose SIM cards are used by cyber criminals.
A total of 141 people were arrested during a state-wide crackdown by Bihar Police on Wednesday, targeting mule bank account networks allegedly used to facilitate cyber frauds across the country, an official statement said.
The statewide drive, carried out under 'Cyber Prahar 2.0', led to the registration of 86 FIRs across the state.
A statement issued by the Cyber Crime and Security Unit of the Bihar Police said, "Action was taken against 141 individuals, including arrests and issuance of legal notices, across various districts of Bihar, and 86 FIRs have been registered for their involvement in the operation of mule bank accounts."
A mule account is a bank account used by criminals to receive, transfer, or launder illicit funds.
Details of the Cyber Fraud Operation
In Bhojpur district, an accused who had opened fake accounts in collusion with the executive sales manager of a private bank was arrested. During the raid, five ATM cards, 14 SIM cards, and information/documents regarding 50 additional fake accounts were recovered, it said.
Bhagalpur Police exposed a gang withdrawing money from beneficiaries' accounts of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme and transferring it through mule accounts. "Five cyber criminals involved in the gang were arrested. The gang was affecting beneficiaries in several districts of Bihar through Aadhaar-enabled payment systems," it said.
In Motihari, 12 FIRs were registered, and action was taken against 30 individuals through arrests or legal notices. Additionally, Bhagalpur took action against 14 individuals, Aurangabad against eight and Madhubani against nine criminals, said the statement.
Bank Employee Collusion Uncovered
"In several cases, evidence of serious negligence or collusion by bank employees was found, following which arrests were also made. Some employees of a private bank were also arrested on Wednesday," the statement said.
In the next phase of 'Cyber Prahar 2.0', more than 100 fake SIM card sellers across the state have been identified whose SIM cards are being used by cyber criminals to commit crimes across the country, it said.
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