Security agencies freeze over 8,000 mule accounts in J&K; officials say funds may be used for anti-national activities

security agencies in jammu and kashmir More than 8,000 “mule accounts” have been identified and frozen in the past three years.According to officials, these accounts form the financial backbone of a global fraud network that may have funded separatist and anti-national activities.Officials described the accounts as the “weakest but most critical link” in the cybercrime chain, noting that without them, stolen funds would not be converted into untraceable funds. cryptocurrencyAccording to news agency PTI.The central security agency has asked the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other law enforcement agencies to consult with banks to curb the growth of mule accounts and identify the middlemen commonly known as “mules” who facilitate these frauds.after National Bureau of InvestigationIn 2017, amid a crackdown on illicit financial flows into the region, officials said anti-state elements may have turned to a “digital hawala” model, in which mule account holders earn commissions that can be used for anti-state activities.Mueller typically did not contact victims or send fraudulent links. Instead, their role is to arrange and maintain a steady supply of mule accounts for scammers while hiding their identities, officials said.Such accounts typically belong to ordinary individuals, lured by the promise of “easy commissions” and minimal risk. They were persuaded to take full control of their bank accounts, including their online banking credentials.Investigators found that a single scammer might have 10 to 30 mule accounts at one time. In some cases, accounts were opened in the name of fictitious companies and large transactions of up to Rs 40 lakh were carried out in a single day without immediately raising alarm.Officials said the money trail was deliberately complicated, with funds quickly moved between multiple accounts and broken into smaller transactions to avoid detection.Law enforcement agencies emphasize that even if mule account holders do not engineer scams or interact with victims, they are still active facilitators of money laundering. “The entire scam ecosystem relies on these accounts. Without a destination for the funds, the scam fails at the first step. Those who rent their accounts are not only victims of circumstance; They are engines of crime,” said a senior official.A study by the central security agency also found that individuals from countries such as China, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia directed people in central territories to create private crypto wallets. These wallets are typically set up using a virtual private network (VPN) to avoid detection and do not require know-your-customer (KYC) verification. The J&K police have suspended the use of VPNs in Silicon Valley, stating that terrorists and separatists often use the technology to evade tracking, PTI reported.