New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested 26 persons accused in alleged organised cybercrimes fraudulently targeting people across the world, officials said on Monday.
The action comes after multi-city raids by the probe agency as part of its ongoing Operation Chakra-III. The operation was conducted in Pune, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam following specific inputs, they said.
Last week, the CBI’s International Operations Division filed a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Information Technology Act of 2000, after which the sleuths launched raids at 32 different places, officials told ETV Bharat.
During searches, CBI intercepted around 170 persons allegedly engaged in ongoing online criminal activities across four call centres, while investigation and questioning on the role of other workers at these illegal call centres was ongoing.
The operations have resulted in the seizure of 951 items, including electronic devices, mobile phones, laptops, financial information, communication records, and incriminating material used by the cybercrime network for criminal activity and to defraud victims, per a CBI official.
He said that Rs 58.45 lakh in cash, locker keys, and three luxury vehicles have also been recovered from them.
The accused persons were allegedly running a syndicate and indulged in cyber fraud, including impersonating tech support services to lure gullible victims, especially in the USA, in the guise that the victim’s systems were hacked.
“Victims were made to believe that their identities were stolen and that a large number of unauthorised transactions were being made in their bank accounts. The victims were falsely made to believe that they were under surveillance by law enforcement agencies due to suspicious orders allegedly placed by them,” the CBI official said.
“The accused would then induce victims to transfer their bank holdings into new bank accounts given by cybercriminals in the guise of safeguarding their finances. In some instances, cyber frauds intimidated victims into transferring funds to them through international gift cards or cryptocurrency. Extensive wrongful losses were incurred by victims targeted by this criminal network,” the official added.
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