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Delhi Police dismantle cyber fraud network, nab 3 from Lucknow, Karnal

In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, the Delhi Police have dismantled a digital arrest and investment scam network operating across India, with links to cybercriminals in Cambodia, Thailand, Canada and several other countries. The police arrested three key facilitators...
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In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, the Delhi Police have dismantled a digital arrest and investment scam network operating across India, with links to cybercriminals in Cambodia, Thailand, Canada and several other countries. The police arrested three key facilitators from Lucknow (UP) and Karnal (Haryana), officials revealed on Tuesday.

The arrested individuals, identified as Ajaydeep, Abhishek Srivastava and Ashutosh Bora, were accused of facilitating the scam by providing illegal VoIP-based calling services to fraudsters operating abroad. These services allowed the criminals to impersonate officials from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in order to threaten victims with arrest.

The fraudsters used Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunk call services to make it appear as though the calls were coming from legitimate Indian landline numbers, thus increasing the credibility of their threats. Victims were informed their phone numbers had been misused in criminal activities and were coerced into transferring money to avoid arrest. The fraud relied heavily on inducing fear and panic among the victims.

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The operation began after a complaint was filed on 19 December, 2024, in which the complainant lost Rs 94,000 to the scam. Following investigation, the police traced fraudulent SIP services acquired from telecom providers such as Jio and Tata Tele Services, which led them to the arrested individuals.

The accused were operating a highly organised network, using cloud-based VoIP software (VOS 3000) and rented offices under fake identities. Police raids were conducted in multiple locations, with Ajaydeep, a BTech and MBA graduate and Abhishek Srivastava, a trained computer technician, arrested in Lucknow on 29 January. On 2 February, Ashutosh Bora, a key facilitator of SIP services for the international fraud network, was arrested in Karnal.

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The police recovered a range of items, including mobile phones, laptops, desktop systems, routers, autodialers, SIP trunking media gateways, cloud PBX soft switches, as well as plastic stamps along with fraudulent rental agreements.

During interrogation, Bora revealed his connections to Mohd Ali, a resident of Indore, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the digital arrest racket. The investigation is ongoing, with efforts underway to dismantle the entire network.

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