CBI arrests 26 alleged cybercriminals running transnational crime network

CBI arrested 26 cybercriminals across India for operating illegal call centers, defrauding victims globally, mainly in the US, in a major crackdown.

MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested 26 alleged cybercriminals, including 10 in Pune, who used illegal call centres across four Indian cities to cheat people globally, especially in the United States, officials said on Monday.

CBI arrests 26 alleged cybercriminals running transnational crime network

Internally called Operation Chakra-III, the CBI raided 32 locations across Pune, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Ahmedabad late on September 26, acting on inputs provided by the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Interpol. The agency seized cash worth ₹58.45 lakh, a range of digital devices, three luxury vehicles and other evidence from the call centres.

Among the call centres raided were VC Infrometrix in Pune, VC Infrometrix and Atriya Global Services in Visakhapatnam, and Viajex Solutions in Hyderabad, which were allegedly operating since June.

During the searches, CBI teams intercepted 170 people engaged in live online criminal activities at the call centres.

The cybercriminals were involved in a range of illegal activities, including calling people, especially in the US, posing as tech support providers and saying that their devices had been hacked, a CBI official said. The frauds convinced the victims that their identities had been stolen and a large number of unauthorised transactions were being made in their bank accounts. They also told the victims that they were under the scanner of their respective countries’ investigation agencies due to some suspicious orders they had placed, the official added.

The cybercriminals then induced the victims to transfer their bank holdings to new bank accounts provided by them, saying that this would safeguard their savings. In some instances, the criminals allegedly even intimidated the victims into transferring their funds to them through international gift cards or cryptocurrency. “Extensive wrongful losses were incurred by victims targeted by this criminal network,” the CBI official said.

The CBI arrested 26 alleged key operatives working for the cybercrime network: 10 in Pune, 11 in Visakhapatnam and five in Hyderabad. During the raids, the agency seized 951 items, including electronic devices, financial information, communication records and incriminating material used by the alleged cybercriminals. “This operation has resulted in significant disruption and dismantling of the major transnational technology-enabled crime network,” the CBI official said.

The CBI case was registered on September 23 against 18 people and three firms under sections 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections 66D (punishment for cheating by personation using a computer resource) and 75 (any offence or contravention committed outside of India by any person, regardless of their nationality) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The accused had allegedly duped three US nationals of a total of $55,000 in July. One of them, a certain John, was duped on the pretext that suspicious transactions made by him were being examined by the US’s Internal Revenue Service, a claim that was false. Another victim was asked to shift his funds worth $15,000 to a crypto wallet specially created to dupe him. The accused allegedly used remote access software to channelise proceeds of the crime illegally.

The CBI is investigating a broader network and related international leads associated with such criminal networks, in coordination with HSI and other foreign agencies. The American agency, HSI, investigates crime in the US, abroad and online.