Bihar Police has flagged 1,09,475 suspected mule bank accounts holding a combined balance of Rs 72 crore across all 38 districts as part of its newly launched Cyber Prahar 5.0 campaign against digital financial fraud.
Inspector General of Police Ranjit Kumar Mishra of the Cyber Crime and Security Unit announced the figures at a news conference at the police headquarters in Sardar Patel Bhavan. He said the accounts were being targeted because mule accounts are used by cybercrime networks to receive and move money obtained through fraud. The police are preparing legal action against the identified accounts.
Patna recorded the highest number of suspected mule accounts at 14,644, followed by Gaya with 6,172 and Muzaffarpur with 4,244. Other districts with high numbers included Bhagalpur, with 4,197 accounts; Nalanda, 4,146; West Champaran, 3,945; Siwan, 3,859; Vaishali, 3,441; and Aurangabad, 3,326. Police said Nawada, Nalanda and Patna have consistently reported high levels of cyber fraud.
The announcement comes after the state recorded 47,659 cybercrime complaints during September and October, out of 5,69,160 complaints registered nationwide. Cyber fraudsters siphoned off Rs 121 crore in Bihar during the two-month period. Police and banks managed to put more than Rs 36 crore on hold, equivalent to 30.46% of the amount lost, while more than Rs 8 crore was refunded to victims. Bihar’s freezing rate was higher than the national average of 28.35%, according to the police review cited by Mishra.
Earlier Cyber Prahar drives also resulted in enforcement action. Under Cyber Prahar 4.0, police identified 3,177 suspected mule accounts, registered 15 first information reports, arrested seven suspects and issued notices to 448 people. Cyber Prahar 4.1 led to the identification of another 1,226 accounts, 17 FIRs and 12 arrests, including six point-of-sale SIM card sellers. The cyber unit also blocked 385 SIM cards and 442 mobile handsets.
The police said they had removed 2,172 objectionable social media posts and secured the deletion of 549 social media accounts. A total of 278 police personnel received specialised cybercrime training. The department is also planning to establish another cyber police station in Patna district.
Public-awareness measures under the campaign include printing the emergency message “Call 1930 immediately in case of cyber fraud” on 20 lakh Sudha milk packets each day. The message will also be carried on electricity bills. Awareness jingles have been broadcast on FM radio, while newspaper posters and digital campaigns have been used to reach residents. Police said the digital outreach has reached more than 18.6 lakh people.
A statewide hackathon involving 153 teams is also under way to develop technology-based solutions for cybercrime prevention and investigation. The final results are expected on November 28.
