New Delhi : In a massive interstate crackdown against cyber crime syndicates, the West District Cyber Team of the Delhi Police has busted an organised cyber fraud network operating across multiple states, causing an estimated pan-India loss of ₹40 crores, officials said. According to a press release, ₹51.95 lakhs were successfully returned to victims.
A total of 89 cyber offenders have been brought under the ambit of law, including the arrest of 35 hardcore cyber criminals and the apprehension of 54 individuals. During April this year, 35 hardcore cyber accused were arrested, and 54 persons were bound over. Cyber West police station successfully worked out 34 major cyber fraud cases. Large-scale raids were conducted across Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi. Organised gangs involved in digital arrest scams, mule account operations, APK scams, investment frauds and fake dating frauds were busted.
Police recovered ₹14.18 lakhs in cash, 359 SIM cards, 218 ATM cards, 88 mobile phones and a huge digital infrastructure used in cyber fraud operations. Through timely financial intervention, ₹1.11 crores were secured, and ₹51.95 lakhs were returned to victims. During April, the Cyber West police station of West District, Delhi Police, carried out extensive intelligence-based operations against organised cyber crime syndicates and busted multiple interstate cyber fraud modules.
Several dedicated teams worked around the clock on technical surveillance, financial trail analysis, digital intelligence gathering and coordinated interstate raids. Raids conducted in Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi exposed organised cyber networks involved in routing and laundering money through mule accounts, cryptocurrency and layered financial transactions. A total of 89 cyber offenders were brought to justice, 35 accused were arrested, 54 persons were bound over, 34 cyber cases were successfully worked out, and 16 cases were disposed of after investigation.
Cyber West police station also recovered a huge digital infrastructure used in cyber fraud operations, including cash worth ₹14,18,720, 359 SIM cards, 218 ATM cards, 88 mobile phones, 78 cheque books, 5 passbooks, 3 credit cards, 2 laptops, 2 slip pads, 1 pen drive, 1 Discovery car and 1 laptop charger. The financial intervention by the Cyber West police station proved highly effective. Out of the total cheated amount of ₹3.36 crores reported during the month, police teams secured ₹1.11 crores through immediate banking coordination and lien marking.
Further, ₹51.95 lakhs were successfully reverted to victims through court orders, preventing nearly 50% of the cheated amount from reaching cyber fraudsters. In one of the biggest operations of the month, Cyber West police station busted a high-tech mule account and OTP routing syndicate operating from Karampura, Delhi.
As the police team reached the location, the accused attempted to escape by jumping from the fourth floor of the building. However, due to swift police action and alertness, all the accused were successfully apprehended.
The arrested accused -- Bittoo Chaudhary, Lavish Chugh, Rishi, Arun Singh, Ashish and Deepak Bhatt -- were operating a centralised OTP-sharing system through a WhatsApp group named "DL Office", which was used for illegal operation of mule bank accounts.
Police recovered 43 smartphones, 313 SIM cards, 184 ATM cards, 51 cheque books, 2 passbooks and 2 laptops with chargers. Technical analysis through the Samanvaya Portal revealed 35 NCRP complaints linked to fraud worth approximately ₹40 crores across India.
Cyber West police station also busted a gang involved in fake friendship offers, Telegram bots and VIP membership fraud schemes. During the investigation, accused Sachin Rawat, Akshay Kumar Baliyan and Kartikey Choudhary were arrested.
The accused emotionally manipulated victims through fake Telegram identities and digital platforms, routing stolen money through mule accounts before converting it into USDT cryptocurrency.
Investigation revealed interstate and possible international links, with digital trails extending to Africa-based IP addresses.A total of 28 NCRP complaints were found linked to the accused accounts. Interstate cash withdrawals in Bangalore were traced, cryptocurrency conversion trails identified, and mobile phones containing Telegram and WhatsApp chats were recovered.
Cyber West police station also solved a dangerous "Digital Arrest" fraud case in which fraudsters psychologically terrorised a senior citizen by falsely implicating him in a fake money laundering case. Police conducted raids in Ludhiana, Punjab and Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, while tracking the money trail. Accused Ashok Kumar, Suraj Kumar, Deepu Kumar and Vivek Kumar were arrested for operating mule bank accounts and converting cheated money into cryptocurrency through layered financial transactions. Recoveries made during the investigation include 7 cheque books, 11 debit cards, 3 credit cards, 18 SIM cards and 5 mobile phones.