CBI and FBI jointly bust global cyber fraud racket, 43 arrested

NEW DELHI: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has dismantled a sophisticated cyber-enabled financial crime network based in Delhi-NCR and arrested 43 individuals. The agency not only busted the syndicate's headquarters-a call centre at Cyber City in Gurgaon-but also stumbled upon live cybercrime operations during the raid.
The global network is estimated to have duped people of over 20 million USD, an officer confirmed.Scrutiny of documents, mobile wallets and electronic devices is under way to ascertain the extent of their unscrupulous activities.
The operation, codenamed Chakra-III, involved cooperation from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States and Interpol, sources said, adding that this network had been operating across multiple countries since 2022.
According to a CBI spokesperson, substantial incriminating evidence has been gathered. "Five laptops, 130 hard disks, 65 mobile phones, incriminating documents, financial transaction details, call recordings, victim details and transcripts used for targeting people have been confiscated," he added.
On July 22, CBI's international operations division had registered a case against this network for offences under Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act, 2000. Simultaneous searches were conducted at seven locations in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. The investigation revealed that the network coordinated its transnational cybercrimes from the Gurgaon-based call centre.
The network's modus operandi involved impersonating legitimate entities and tricking targets into clicking on malicious pop-ups that downloaded malware onto their systems. "The victims were then pressured into making payments for the supposed restoration of their compromised devices. Investigators believe that the proceeds of these crimes were funneled through multiple countries before reaching Hong Kong," the spokesperson added.
CBI has stated that the network targeted people across the globe, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and several European countries.
Some of the targets were lured into the scam through fake pop-up messages that appeared on their computer screens, warning them of security threats or malware infections. These messages often contained a phone number for a purported technical support service. When the targeted person called the provided number, they were connected to the call centre in Gurgaon, where the scammers posing as technical support personnel would convince them to grant remote access to their devices. Once access was obtained, the scammers would install malware or spyware on the victims' devices and demand payment for resolving the supposed security issues.
CBI has estimated that the network may have defrauded thousands of victims worldwide, with the total amount of money stolen running into several crores of rupees. It is now focusing on tracing the money trail and identifying the masterminds behind the operation. The agency is working with FBI and other international law enforcement agencies through Interpol to follow up on leads generated during the operation.
"This successful operation by CBI demonstrates India's commitment to combating cybercrime and protecting its citizens from financial fraud. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation in tackling transnational criminal networks," the spokesperson further said.
CBI has advised citizens to be cautious of unsolicited pop-up messages, refrain from sharing personal information or granting remote access to their devices, and report any suspicious activities to the authorities.