Bhubaneswar, Jan 17: On Wednesday, the Odisha Special Task Force (STF) apprehended an additional member of the inter-state racket involved in the mule bank account scam, hailing from West Bengal, as confirmed by an STF official.

The arrested individual, identified as Sourav Maity (30), resides in Rampura, West Medinapurr district, West Bengal. Following his apprehension, Maity was presented before a local court and subsequently transported to Bhubaneswar on a four-day transit remand. He is scheduled to appear before the SDJM court in Bhubaneswar.

Prior to Maity's arrest, the STF had already detained four other members of the racket, namely Sk Jamiruddin from West Medinipur district, Samim Islam from Murshidabad district in West Bengal, Sk Hapizul, and Sk Jahangir from Balasore district in Odisha.

Sources within the STF indicate that the racket primarily operates in the tri-junction area of Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, focusing on districts such as Balasore, Mayurbhanj, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, and Saraikela.

The modus operandi involves employing around 10 to 15 agents, hired by the prime accused Sk Jamiruddin, each receiving a monthly payment of Rs 15,000. These agents venture into the interior regions of the specified districts, collecting crucial documents for the establishment of mule bank accounts.

Targeting impoverished tribals and villagers, the agents entice them to open mule bank accounts by offering Rs 2000 per account. The gang members provide mobile numbers linked to the bank accounts, facilitating the operation. Subsequently, Jamiruddin and accomplices share the created mule bank accounts and counterfeit SIM cards with Islam. Islam, in turn, sells them to various cyber, cyber-financial, sextortion scammers, and other criminals based in Kolkata and other parts of India.

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