Belagavi police crack down on 390 mule accounts, seize Rs 90 lakh

Belagavi: In a major cyberfraud curbing initiative, city police have initiated a detailed probe into 390 bank accounts to recover Rs 90 lakh that was frozen after an elderly businessman was duped of Rs 15.4 crore in a digital arrest scam.The case, registered on March 18 at the City Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station, is the largest single-victim cyberfraud reported in the district. Despite a delay in filing the complaint, investigators were able to freeze Rs 90 lakh before it could be withdrawn by the fraudsters.According to police, the 81-year-old victim was targeted by fraudsters posing as officials of a central govt agency. Using intimidation tactics under the pretext of a digital arrest, they coerced him into sharing sensitive financial information and transferring large sums of money in multiple phases between Feb 7 and March 9. Each transaction ranged from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2.5 crore. A significant portion of the defrauded amount came from the victim's long-held stock market investments, which he was persuaded to liquidate.Investigations revealed that the siphoned funds were routed through a network of mule accounts spread across multiple banks. The calls made to the victim are suspected to have originated from Uttarakhand, indicating an inter-state cybercrime network.Police commissioner Bhushan Borase said that all 390 accounts have been frozen and KYC verification has been initiated to trace the beneficiaries and transaction trails. He explained that the victim must approach the court seeking reversal of the transactions. Based on the court's direction, police will verify the accounts and submit a report, following which the court may order the transfer of funds from the seized accounts back to the victim.Calling the process a massive exercise, Borase expressed confidence that the verification work will be completed within a week. He also revealed that police are currently investigating three similar cases.Appealing to the public, the commissioner clarified that there is no concept of digital arrest in law enforcement and urged citizens to report such frauds immediately to avoid heavy financial losses.