Assam: Guwahati Police Busts Cybercrime Ring, Arrests Four in Mule Account Scam

GUWAHATI: Guwahati Police arrested four persons involved in a sophisticated bank account scam targeted at economically vulnerable people. The operation led by the Cyber Police Station here in Guwahati has brought to the fore a well-oiled network of fraudsters that would mislead unsuspecting people into parting with their bank accounts on promises of quick cash in return.

Those arrested were Anvesh Chandra, Bablu Das, Chinmoy Chakraborty, and Abinash Mahato, who were operating these accounts using fake identities along with burner phones. Operating a modus operandi in what is generally referred to as the "mule account" scam, members of the group would be duping the original account holders to part with the control of their bank accounts. Accounts in such cases would be used for illegitimate transactions, though liability on the illicit dealings falls on the account holder himself.

Investigation by the police led to the recovery of a treasure trove of incriminating evidence. Recovered were 44 chequebooks, 12 bank passbooks, 49 debit/ATM cards, foreign currency from UAE and Thailand, seven PhonePe UPI scanners, 17 SIM cards, three personal diaries containing the details of transactions, an international driving permit, seven mobile phones, a passport, and Maruti Suzuki Alto car. The passport and car were identified to belong to one of the prime suspects, Anvesh Chandra.

Based on a complaint from one of the victims, Rahit Ali of Guwahati, who fell prey to the scam, the investigation was launched. Prompt action from the police finally paid off in the swift arrest of the suspects under tight interrogation.

Commissioner of Police Diganta Barah said, "Cybercrime is becoming increasingly dangerous in the region and people must be aware about this crime. People should immediately report suspected activities to the police." However, the commissioner later said that in Guwahati alone, more than ₹35 crore was siphoned off by cybercriminals in the last one year, out of which only ₹2.5 crore has been recovered so far.

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