Bhubaneswar: In a significant breakthrough, Sambalpur police arrested nine persons, including the kingpin from Jharkhand, for allegedly operating a network of mule accounts to facilitate fraudulent transactions amounting to approximately Rs 50 lakh.

The prime accused, Anil Kumar Mandal (37), a resident of Murlidhi village in Jharkhand’s Jamtara district, was apprehended near the Ainthapali bus stand based on specific intelligence. Eight other accused — Bhisma Padhan (25), Pramod Tandia (36), Uttam Jagdala (36), Achyuta Bira (23), Debendra Majhi (25), Goutam Jagdala (29), Rinku Bag (30), and Srikanta Tandia (25) — hail from various parts of Sambalpur district.

During the search operation, police recovered 35 bank passbooks, 22 ATM cards, two cheque books, multiple SIM cards, mobile phone

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