E-Paper
Ludhiana: Punjab Police trace over 150 ‘mule accounts’
Senior police officials fear that the accounts could be exploited not only for online fraud but also used by organised crime groups, posing a potential threat to law and order
In a significant breakthrough against cyber-enabled financial crime, the Punjab Police have identified over 150 active mule accounts operating across nationalised and private banks in Punjab, with the majority traced to Ludhiana. These accounts, allegedly used by cybercriminals to receive and transfer money siphoned through online frauds, prompted the state cyber cell to lodge an FIR at the cyber crime police station under the Ludhiana Commissionerate.
Senior police officials fear that the accounts could be exploited not only for online fraud but also used by organised crime groups, posing a potential threat to law and order. Acting on intelligence inputs, the Ludhiana Police have begun verifying account details and tracing individuals involved.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (headquarters) Vaibhav Sehgal, who heads Ludhiana’s cyber crime cell, said an FIR was registered under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against unidentified persons.
“We have information about over 150 active mule accounts, with the majority traced to Ludhiana. Our teams are verifying each account to identify who created and who is operating them.Efforts are underway to identify the masterminds behind the fraudulent network,” Sehgal added.
Mule accounts are generally used to route proceeds of cyber fraud, but police are also examining whether they were used to facilitate other criminal activities or illegal cash transfers.
Earlier, in August, the cyber wing arrested four men—Gautam (23), Ehsas (24), Akash (20) from Amritsar, and Anmol (21) from Abohar, Fazilka—who allegedly ran a similar mule account racket for nearly two years. Police had recovered ₹10.96 lakh, nine mobile phones, a laptop, 32 debit cards, 10 SIM cards, 15 bank passbooks and a cheque book.
Investigations revealed that the gang acquired bank accounts from economically weaker individuals for small payments and then used them to launder money stolen through cybercrimes.
The illicit funds were later transferred abroad via cryptocurrency exchanges, and the accused were found active on multiple Telegram groups run by foreign handlers in Southeast Asia.
What are mule accounts?
Mule accounts are bank accounts used by criminals to move or launder illicit funds. Individuals may be tricked into becoming “money mules” through job scams, online offers or social media messages promising commissions for receiving and transferring money. Such accounts help fraudsters hide the origin of stolen funds and are often linked to phishing scams, online frauds and other financial crimes.
