Operation ‘Chakra-II’: CBI conducts searches at 76 places across 11 States to dismantle cyber-enabled crime syndicates

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Operation ‘Chakra-II’: CBI conducts searches at 76 places across 11 States to dismantle cyber-enabled crime syndicates

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) logo at CBI HQ in New Delhi. Representative image

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) logo at CBI HQ in New Delhi. Representative image
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday conducted searches at 76 locations across 11 States as part of the “Chakra-II” operation launched against the organised cyber-enabled financial crimes.

This exercise was carried out in collaboration with national and international agencies, alongside private sector giants. The searches in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Bihar, Delhi, West Bengal, and Himachal Pradesh, pertained to five cases.

While two cases have been registered on complaints from Microsoft and Amazon, the Financial Intelligence Unit-India also provided key information. During the operation, the agency has seized 32 mobile phones, 48 laptops/hard disks, images of two servers, 33 SIM cards, and pen drives. A large number of bank accounts have also been frozen.

The CBI also seized a dump of 15 email accounts, which contain exhaustive details of the “intricate web of deceit” spun by the accused persons.

“Among the cases targeted under Operation Chakra-II, two instances of International Tech Support Fraud scam came to light. In these cases, the accused impersonated a global IT major and a multinational corporation with an online technology-driven trading platform. The accused, operating nine call centres across five States/Union Territory, systematically preyed on foreign nationals, masquerading as technical support representatives,” said the agency.

Operation Chakra-II also led to the identification of a sophisticated crypto-currency fraud. “This audacious scheme, under the guise of a fake crypto mining operation, targeted unsuspecting Indian citizens, resulting in a staggering loss of over ₹100 crore to Indian victims. The CBI’s relentless pursuit of justice ensures that those responsible for this reprehensible act will face the full force of the law,” said the agency.

Based on the evidence gathered during the operation, law enforcement agencies internationally are being notified of the details of identified victims; shell companies used by the accused persons to route funds; money mules, the proceeds of crime identified so far; details of the co-accused/support elements; for a comprehensive action to dismantle the criminal networks.

“The CBI is working closely in the spirit of international police cooperation with its international counterparts, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of USA, Cyber crime Directorate and IFCACC of Interpol, the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the United Kingdom, the Singapore Police Force and the BKA (Bundeskriminalamt) of Germany to notify further leads,” it said.

In October 2022, the CBI had unearthed two call centres linked to cyber enable financial crimes, which had allegedly been operating since 2014-15. The call centres, set up in Pune and Ahmedabad, had about 150 people making calls to prospective targets in the United States and luring them into making payments on various pretexts.

The accused would mask the calls by using the Voice over Internet Protocol technology to evade detection. The FBI had shared the initial information about the scam with the CBI, following which its Cyber Crime Investigation Division developed the inputs received from the Interpol, FBI and the enforcement agencies in Canada and Australia.

The agency officials collaborated with the cyber crime units of the police in several States forces and subsequently, over 110 premises of suspects were searched in Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Assam, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh and Haryana.

places across 16 States in connection with 11 cases. Initially, 16 accused persons were arrested.

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