In a startling breakthrough, cyber police in Jammu & Kashmir have exposed a sprawling web of cybercrime activity involving 7,200 mule bank accounts allegedly used to launder enormous sums of money through fraudulent investment and betting platforms. This revelation comes amid a rising tide of digital fraud threatening financial safety across the region.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain shared that the hidden network was uncovered during ongoing investigations into online scams. “Recently Srinagar police have unearthed a big network of cyber frauds. What we have seen is a large-scale opening of mule accounts. Within a very small window, that money reaches the fraudsters,” he stated.
These mule accounts, often created in exchange for small commissions, act as temporary vessels for routing stolen money. They are typically rented via platforms like Telegram or Facebook, managed remotely from outside India, and used briefly before being abandoned.
The funds, once collected, are layered through cryptocurrency transactions to obscure the trail. According to the SSP, the scale is massive: “Our investigations have revealed that all over Kashmir, 7,200 such mule accounts have been created this year since January 01, 2025. This has come to our knowledge so far and there can be more as well.”
So far, four FIRs have been registered, and 21 individuals—19 of them from Srinagar, have been arrested and jailed. Hussain confirmed, “Every one of these 7,200 people will be picked up and thoroughly interrogated,” noting that major hotspots include parts of Srinagar, Kashmir, and even Jammu.
These fraudulent schemes also involve international elements. Many locals have reportedly been lured abroad—to countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, under false pretenses and then coerced into aiding cybercrime operations.
The SSP warned of grave consequences: “I want to caution that whosoever has opened mule accounts or has received money from cyber fraud, it shall have strict legal consequences. The minimum punishment for cyber fraud is 10 years.”
The investigation was significantly aided by the Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, reflecting the deepening collaboration needed to fight this tech-enabled threat.
As the digital world expands, so too do the shadows cast by it. The battle against cybercrime is no longer optional—it’s urgent, intricate, and unrelenting.
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