J&K freezes 8,000 mule accounts in 'Digital Hawala' crackdown

Security agencies have unearthed a rapidly expanding ecosystem of “mule accounts” in Jammu and Kashmir, which officials describe as the financial backbone of global cyber scam networks.

- AJAY JANDYAL

Representative image. (AI generated)

Authorities fear that funds routed through these channels could be diverted towards separatist and anti-national activities.

According to officials, more than 8,000 mule accounts operating in the Union Territory have been identified and frozen over the past three years, exposing what they term a sophisticated, layered money-laundering network.

Investigators described mule accounts as the “weakest yet most crucial link” in the cybercrime chain. Without such accounts, they said, converting stolen funds into untraceable cryptocurrency would not be possible.

Central security agencies have directed the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other law enforcement bodies to consult banks to curb the mushrooming of mule accounts and identify middlemen — commonly referred to as “mulers” — who facilitate such frauds.