Srinagar, Feb 15: Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir have dismantled a sprawling network of over 8,000 “mule accounts,” which served as the financial backbone for global scam operations. Officials fear that proceeds from these accounts could also support separatist or anti-national activities.

Mule accounts, often held by ordinary citizens lured with promises of easy commissions, are used by scammers to receive and transfer illicit funds. Central security agencies revealed that the network has been active for three years, employing complex money-laundering methods, including breaking large transactions into smaller sums and using fictitious company accounts.
Authorities warned that the use of VPNs, now suspended in the valley, facilitated these operations and could have assisted anti-national elements in avoiding detection. Banks and law enforcement have been urged to identify “mulers” — middlemen who maintain the financial flow — and curb the proliferation of such accounts.
Officials stressed that mule account holders, while not directly interacting with victims, knowingly provide infrastructure for transnational cybercrime, making them a critical link in the scam ecosystem.