'Mule account' scam: Victims face criminal cases for transactions
Over 500 people—mostly young adults—in Kerala's Wayanad have unknowingly become part of a major "mule account" scam.
Fraudsters paid locals small sums to rent their bank accounts, then used them to move illegal money across India.
Now, many victims are facing criminal cases in different states for transactions they didn't realize were shady.
Victims arrested, legal notices issued as police connect dots
Middlemen recruited people by asking for their bank details and OTPs, making it seem harmless.
But as police dig deeper, some victims have already been arrested or received legal notices—like Ismayil (27), who was picked up by Nagaland Police, and Muhammed Fanish, who got a fraud notice from Dehradun authorities.
The problem isn't just local: similar scams are popping up across Kerala.
Cases have been registered in multiple states as authorities respond to the scam.