By Our Correspondent
CUTTACK:The Central Range Police, Cuttack, has been conducting an intensive special drive titled “Cyber-KAVACH” from 13th February to 1st March 2026 to curb cyber financial fraud, mule bank accounts, fraudulent SIM issuance, and illegal monetary withdrawals across the seven districts of Central Range.
The drive covers the districts of Cuttack, Khordha, Puri, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, and Nayagarh, with coordinated enforcement, verification, and preventive legal action.
⸻
Action Against Mule Bank Accounts (Year 2025 Data Compilation)
•7,144 mule bank accounts verified
•296 new cases registered
•1,272 notices served
•10 accused arrested
•20 old FIR linkages detected
•1,322 accounts verified as genuine after scrutiny
•704 accounts under investigation
•608 accounts under verification
•208 accounts frozen
•₹49,50,280/- blocked
•42 cognizable cases registered in suspicious accounts
•872 accounts operated outside Odisha
•332 accounts operated within district
•555 cases involving commission-based facilitation for opening accounts
•56 out-of-district operational linkages detected
•167 accounts found with no suspicious activity after enquiry
•03 accounts found non-existent
Modus operandi revealed includes:
•Account-to-account transfers (401 cases)
•Fraud money credited into mule accounts (02 cases)
•Self-opened accounts for fraudulent purposes (02 cases)
•Commission-based account opening rackets
⸻
Fraudulent Bulk SIM Issuance by PoS
Action has been initiated against Points of Sale (PoS) suspected of issuing SIM cards in bulk through fraudulent means:
•20 PoS identified
•07 cases registered
•05 notices served
•07 PoS under verification
•01 under detailed investigation
Strict scrutiny is being undertaken to dismantle SIM-based facilitation of cyber fraud networks.
⸻
ATM Withdrawal Fraud
•833 ATM transactions verified
•24 cases registered
•18 notices served
•₹32,33,327/- blocked
•58 cases under enquiry
Focused action is being taken to identify handlers and beneficiaries of fraudulent ATM withdrawals.
⸻
Cheque-Based Fraudulent Withdrawals
•84 bank accounts verified
•15 cases registered
•09 notices served
•04 accused arrested
•₹13,94,124/- blocked
•47 cases under enquiry
Investigations have revealed misuse of cheque books and ATM instruments linked to mule accounts.
⸻
Overall Impact of Cyber-KAVACH Drive
The sustained enforcement has exposed interstate linkages, commission-based account opening networks, fraudulent SIM issuance chains, and systematic ATM/cheque withdrawal mechanisms.
Odisha Police reiterates its commitment to:
•Zero tolerance towards cyber-enabled financial fraud
•Proactive verification of suspicious financial transactions
•Inter-state coordination for dismantling organized cyber crime networks
•Preventive action through freezing and blocking of fraudulent proceeds
Citizens are advised to remain vigilant and immediately report cyber fraud at 1930 or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
The Cyber-KAVACH drive will continue with intensified field verification, legal action, and technological tracking to ensure robust cyber security across Central Range.
