Chandigarh, May 30: In a significant breakthrough against organized cybercrime, the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police Station has arrested two main suspects involved in a cyber fraud network during ‘Operation Mule Hunt.’ These arrests are linked to an FIR filed at the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police Station, which alleges the misuse of mule bank accounts for cyber fraud activities.
These arrests mark an important step in curbing the rising cases of cyber fraud in the region. The operation was carried out under the guidance of SP Cyber, IPS Geetanjali Khandelwal, and closely supervised by the SHO of the Cyber Crime Police Station in Sector 17, Chandigarh.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Salman Ansari, a resident of Milkh village in Mohali, Punjab, and Bhim Saroj, a resident of Khuda Lohara in Chandigarh.
Information obtained from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) revealed that several bank accounts operating in Chandigarh were linked to fraud complaints registered on the NCRP/I4C portal from various states, including Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Mumbai, Gujarat, and others. These complaints were filed by individuals who had lost money in various online fraud schemes.
A thorough analysis of these bank accounts indicated that they were not being used for regular banking activities. Instead, they were functioning as ‘mule accounts.’ A mule account is a bank account used by criminals to transfer or hide illicit funds. In such cases, account holders allow others to receive fraudulently obtained money into their accounts and then transfer or withdraw it as instructed by the fraudsters, often in exchange for a commission.
During the investigation, multiple accounts were identified, and the account holders were verified. Both Bhim Saroj and Salman Ansari admitted their involvement, stating that an unknown individual had contacted Salman Ansari to open a fake account, and Salman persuaded Bhim Saroj to open a new account.
After opening the new account, they used Bhim Saroj’s account to generate financial gains. They further disclosed that large sums of money were deposited into the bank account by unknown individuals. After receiving the funds, Salman Ansari withdrew the amount via check and handed it over to the fraudster. In return, they received a commission, which they split between themselves.
The investigation clearly indicated that the bank accounts in Chandigarh were part of a larger cyber fraud network active across multiple states. The suspects’ involvement was confirmed through financial transactions in their bank accounts.
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