Bhubaneswar, March 12: In a continued crackdown on the misuse of bank accounts for criminal activities, Capital Police have arrested three brothers for allegedly opening mule bank accounts used in cyber fraud transactions. The accused have been identified as Krishna Nayak, Mahendra Nayak and Tukuna Nayak. Police have seized eight bank passbooks, ATM cards and mobile phones from their possession.

According to police sources, information was received that a mule account had been opened in the name of Santosh Ghadei, a resident of Bhagabati Basti, through which transactions amounting to ₹1,48,203 had taken place. During questioning, Santosh Ghadei informed the police that three youths from his locality — Krishna Nayak, Mahendra Nayak and Tukuna Nayak — had approached him and asked him to provide his personal documents. They assured him that they would open a bank account in his name and promised to give him a fixed commission from the money transacted through the account.

Acting on the information, the accused collected documents from Santosh Ghadei and several other residents of the area and opened bank accounts in their names at a UCO Bank branch located near Master Canteen in Ashok Nagar, Bhubaneswar. After opening the accounts, the accused allegedly kept the passbooks and ATM cards in their possession.

Later, Santosh Ghadei came to know that his bank account was being used for illegal financial transactions linked to cyber fraud. Police said that similar accounts had been opened in the names of several other people from the locality.

Investigations revealed that the accounts were not opened for genuine banking purposes. Instead, they were used to receive, layer and distribute money obtained through cyber fraud. Fraudulent funds were transferred into these accounts by third parties and later withdrawn, while the account holders were given a fixed commission.

Based on reliable inputs during the investigation, Capital Police arrested the three accused. During interrogation, they reportedly confessed to their involvement in the illegal activities. Further investigation into the case is underway.