A hair-raising international case has come to light from the world of cyber crime, where a huge amount of more than ₹ 7 crore was extorted from innocent citizens by posing as a senior officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a court judge. The strings of this high-profile organized crime extend not only within the country but also to South-East Asian countries like Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia. In a precise and secret operation, the investigating agencies and cyber crime police have caught the main leader of this entire syndicate red-handed from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.
The accused was preying on people from different states by hiding his identity for a long time. At the time of arrest, important digital evidence including several fake identity cards, mobile phones, international SIM cards, passbooks and checkbooks of dozens of Mule bank accounts were seized from the accused, which confirms his direct link with the financial mafias sitting across the border.
The modus operandi of this gang was extremely vicious, organized and technically sophisticated. The thugs did not directly target the common people, but prepared a database of retired employees, elderly, doctors and businessmen and laid the trap with complete planning.
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Excuse of courier and money laundering: First, the victim would receive a phone call informing him that illegal drugs, passports and forged documents had been seized in an international parcel sent in his name.
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Fake Police Station and CBI Setup: Immediately after this, the victim was connected to a video call, in the background of which the official logo of CBI, national emblem, sounds of police wireless and fake officers sitting in khaki uniform were visible.
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Online appearance of fake judge: To take the fear to its peak, the call was transferred to a virtual court of a so-called ‘judge’, where the fraudster disguised as a judge would show a fake warrant to immediately send the victim to jail and confiscate the property.
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Looting in the name of secure account: To avoid arrest and under the pretext of obtaining ‘national security clearance’, the victim was forced to transfer all his deposits into a purported government RBI secured escrow account.
Investigation revealed that the defrauded amount of ₹7 crore was deposited in pieces in dozens of fake and mule bank accounts opened in different parts of India. As soon as the money was in the accounts, it was withdrawn within minutes with the help of technical algorithms and local agents.
The financial links of this gang have been found to be directly linked to Nepal and Vietnam. The money flown from India was first sent through Hawala channels through Nepal and then transferred in the form of cryptocurrency (USDT) to the controllers of the Chinese syndicate sitting in Vietnam and Thailand. The mastermind arrested from Kolkata was the main axis of arranging Mule accounts in India, providing SIM cards and transferring the funds to foreign handlers after deducting commission.
Whether you are in Lucknow, Kanpur, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata or Mumbai, cyber security experts have clarified that there is no legal provision called ‘digital arrest’ in the Indian legal system.
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No agency inquires over video call: CBI, ED, Customs, NIA or state police never arrest or record anyone’s statement over WhatsApp or Skype video call.
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Government escrow account is completely fake: No investigating agency or court ever demands citizens to transfer money to their personal or government accounts in the name of verification.
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Report immediately at 1930: If anyone receives such a threatening call, instead of panicking or continuing on the call, immediately disconnect the phone and lodge a complaint immediately on the Home Ministry’s cyber helpline number 1930 or the official portal (cybercrime.gov.in).