Karnataka Police arrested 5 individuals for allegedly luring students into opening mule bank accounts under the guise of scholarships. The operation was mainly active in Gadag city.
The accused have been identified as Vakdoth Vakeel, 24, and Raja, 23, from Huvina Hadagali taluk in Vijayanagara district, Zeeshan Ansari alias Zeesu, 22, a hotel worker from Jharkhand living in Goa, Akash, 32, a DJ from Bilaspur, and Sahil Tekchandani, 22, a student from Bilaspur.
According to police, the group targeted students staying in a boys’ hostel in Gadag. They approached them as benefactors and promised scholarship money. The students were convinced to open bank accounts at a Bank of Maharashtra branch in the city.
To gain trust, the gang deposited ₹2,000 into each account. Once activated, they collected passbooks, ATM cards, and internet banking details, gaining full control over the accounts.
The Gadag CEN police registered an FIR on March 11 and first arrested Vakeel and Raja. Officials tracked their movements and caught them while they were on their way to Goa to hand over 8 mule account kits to their handler. The handler, identified as Kumar from Attikatti Tanda in Gadag district, is still absconding.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the remaining 3 accused. Police seized 11 mobile phones and 18 bank kits during the operation.
“Going by the transactions, we believe that the mule accounts were used for illegal gaming money transactions and cybercrimes. It looks like the kingpin of the crime is someone else, and these people used to get a commission for providing mule accounts,” a police officer said.
A case has been registered under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2008, along with Sections 318, 319(2), 61(2), and 112 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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