Bhubaneswar, Jan 17: Special Task Force (STF) arrested one more accused in the inter-state mule bank account scam case. The accused has been identified as Sourav Maity (30) of Rampura PS. Mohanpur Dist. West Medinapur, West Bengal.
He was produced before the court of CJM, Barasat, North 24 Paragana, West Bengal and was brought to Bhubaneswar after getting 04 days transit remand. He will be produced before the court of SDJM, Bhubaneswar.
Earlier in this, STF had arrested four scammers namely Sk Hapizul of Olamara , Barhampur PS. Rainbana Dist. Balasore at present Rasulgarh , Bhubaneswar, Sk Jahangir under Barhampur PS. In Rainbana Dist, Balasore, SkJamiruddin
of Rampura PS. Mohanpur in West Bengal and Samim Islam of West Bengal who were running mule bank Accounts scam. This racket operates mainly in the tri-junction area of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal especially in the districts of Balasore, Mayurbhanj, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, East Sighbhoom, West Singhbhoom and Saraikela.
This racket was headed by Sk Jamiruddin of West Midnapore, West Bengal. He had employed around 10-15 people at the rate of 15000/- per month to open bank accounts. These members visited various interior areas of these district targeting mainly poor villagers lure them for opening the bank accounts. Villagers were generally offered Rs 2000/- per account for giving their documents and opening the bank accounts. However the mobile numbers linked with bank accounts were provided by gang members. The rate of 2000/- per account differs depending on the bargaining/ awareness level of the villager.
In turn, the gang than sell these bank accounts along with the connected mobile numbers to various Cyber, cyber-financial, sextortion scammers and other criminals based at Kolkata and other parts of India. They also used social media platform like secret WhatsApp group, Facebookpages, Telegram channel to sell the mule bank accounts. They sold mule bank accounts at the rate of Rs 15- 20,000/- per account.So far they have sold around five thousands mule bank accounts at different platforms.
It has also come to the notice that the scammers frequently change the bank accounts. Generally they abandon the bank accounts once it reaches a transaction of Rs one Lakh. Sometimes the accounts get frozen even before that by concerned banks on the request of police/ Law enforcement agencies.
