The police investigation into the crybercrime racket busted in Khanna has revealed that the holders of mule accounts used in the crimes had gotten notices from the Income Tax and Goods and Services Tax (GST) departments, said officials.

The Khanna police busted the major cybercrime ring, operating across the country, with the arrest of nine accused.

According to officials aware of the developments, the two departments have initiated separate investigations to trace the money trail. They said the holders of these accounts may also face charges of money laundering.

Police said the accused had opened shell companies to route the ill-gotten money. These companies were also used to claim income tax credits (ITC), the officials added.

According to the officials, the involvement of the account holders came to light while the police were questioning the nine arrested individuals.

Officials stressed that the nine accused are facing nearly 200 cybercrime complaints across the country, with the total money involved in these cases pegged at Rs 78 crore. The money is currently frozen in mule accounts, either opened in the names of gang members or being operated by them.

According to the police, the suspects opened 53 mule accounts in banks falling under the jurisdiction of the Khanna police. In these accounts, Rs 43.54 lakh is currently frozen.

Darpan Ahluwalia, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Khanna, confirmed the IT and GST departments had sent notices to some mule account holders after the sudden inflow of money.

“Since the ill-gotten money was deposited into the mule accounts, police are carrying out detailed investigation to bust every layer and connection. Police have been taking help from banks and other departments to unearth and make sense of evidence,” added SSP Ahluwalia.

‘Greed a key motivator’

According to the police, the investigation found that most people whose bank accounts were being used lent them to the fraudsters out of the greed for money. They used to get a few thousand rupees for lending the accounts, and fixed commission as and when the proceeds were deposited into their accounts.

‘Fraudsters would accompany mule account holders to bank’

The investigation unearthed an organised structure of money withdrawal, wherein gang members would accompany the account holders to bank for making cash withdrawals soon after money was deposited into any of these accounts.

Police said the accused ensured this was done quickly to prevent the money from being frozen into these accounts. According to the police, the haste also ensured that the mule account holders did not think about double-crossing the fraudsters.