Bhubaneswar, Feb 28: In a major statewide crackdown on cyber fraud networks, the Odisha Police has intensified enforcement under a special initiative ‘Operation Cyber Kavach’, targeting mule bank accounts and the broader infrastructure enabling online financial crimes.

The drive, launched under the direction of Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, is being carried out by district cyber crime units under the supervision of Superintendents of Police and Deputy Commissioners of Police. The operation focuses on identifying benami or mule bank accounts used to funnel proceeds from cyber fraud and initiating strict legal action against account holders as well as facilitators.

Since the launch of Operation Cyber Kavach, police have verified 21,162 mule bank accounts across the state. The verification process has led to the registration of 696 cases related to mule banking activities, 31 cases involving ATM cash withdrawals, 25 cases linked to cheque withdrawals, and 15 cases concerning fake SIM cards and misuse of point-of-sale (PoS) machines.

So far, 273 accused persons have been arrested. Authorities have also issued legal notices to 4,860 suspected account holders and facilitators connected to newly detected cases and 145 previously registered FIRs.