New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an alleged cybercriminal following extensive search operations across 35 locations in India as part of a large-scale multinational operation targeting cyber-enabled financial crimes, officials said on Monday.
The operation, codenamed Operation CyStrike, was launched on January 30 in coordination with law-enforcement agencies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Ireland and Singapore. As part of the crackdown, CBI teams carried out searches across 10 states, including Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana and West Bengal.
According to officials, the searches led to the dismantling of several cybercrime networks operating from India that were targeting victims in multiple countries, including the US, UK, Kuwait, Ireland, Singapore and India. One of the transnational cyber-enabled financial crime networks was being operated from New Delhi and primarily targeted victims in the United States.
During the raids, CBI officers seized laptops, mobile phones, computer hard disks and other electronic devices containing incriminating digital evidence. The key operative linked to the network was arrested on the spot, the agency said.
In a parallel action, the CBI also busted another cybercrime network operating from New Delhi, Ghaziabad and parts of Karnataka. This network allegedly functioned under the domain name ‘eservicemoi-Kw.com’ and posed as a service provider for Kuwaiti e-Visas. Officials said the accused duped Indian nationals by offering fake visa services and fraudulent job appointment letters for leading companies in Kuwait in exchange for money.
The searches resulted in the seizure of electronic devices containing forged Kuwaiti e-Visas and appointment letters, along with cash amounting to Rs 60 lakh.
The agency further said that cybercrime networks targeting victims in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Singapore were also dismantled during the operation. Mule accounts used to route the proceeds of crime from foreign victims to the accused were identified and shut down as part of the investigation.
The CBI said investigations are ongoing and further action will be taken based on the evidence collected during the searches.
