Rourkela Police Bust Cybercrime Syndicate, 14 Arrested Including Bank Staff

Rourkela police have unearthed a major cybercrime and money laundering racket that allegedly involved private bank employees and spanned across India, Dubai, and Nepal. Fourteen people, including two bank staffers, have been arrested so far.

According to officials, the syndicate procured “mule bank accounts” by targeting locals and using forged documents, impersonation, and fake SIM activations. These accounts were later sold or rented to cybercriminals for routing fraudulent money, making transactions nearly untraceable. Each account was reportedly sold for as little as ₹8,000–10,000.

Investigators revealed that petty criminals, including those in jail, were recruited to arrange accounts, activate SIM cards, and forge IDs. The involvement of private bank officials from Bandhan Bank and IDBI Bank has raised suspicion of deeper insider complicity, with more names likely to surface.

The crackdown was carried out under the supervision of Additional SP Shrabanee Nayak and DSP Serofina Xess, with support from multiple police stations across the city. The first raid on August 9 led to five arrests, followed by another operation on August 12 that brought the total to 14.

Police have booked the accused under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with Section 66-D of the IT Act. Authorities believe more arrests and revelations are likely as the probe continues.