Cyber Crime Probe: FIR Lodged Against Two Over Mule Accounts

In a step aimed at tightening the noose around financial networks misused for cyber crime and illegal activities, Baramulla Police have lodged an FIR against two individuals.

The FIR was registered at the Cyber Police Station in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. The accused are alleged to have used 'mule bank accounts' to receive, keep and transfer illegal money.

Mule bank accounts are accounts used by cyber fraudsters, scammers and money launderers to transfer or conceal money obtained illegally, such as proceeds from cyber fraud, phishing scams or digital deception.

The case has been registered under Sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(C) and 66(C) of the Information Technology Act.

The accused have been identified as Mohsin Ashraf Gani, a resident of Gulshanabad in Baramulla, and Sahil Irshad, a resident of Khanpora in Baramulla, who is currently living in Chaklu.

The FIR was registered based on information that mule bank accounts were being used to facilitate the movement of illegal money within and outside Jammu and Kashmir. Such accounts can conceal the source and movement of suspicious transactions, which makes detecting and preventing cyber-linked financial crimes a major challenge.

The investigation is underway to establish the full scope of the financial transactions, the individual roles of those involved, and the identity of any other persons or networks connected to the matter.

Police have reaffirmed their commitment to strict legal action against cyber crime and financial fraud. The public has been cautioned against sharing bank accounts, ATM cards, banking credentials or account access with unknown persons, or doing so in return for commission, since such arrangements can put account holders at risk of legal consequences.