Hyderabad, Oct 7 (IANS): In a coordinated and comprehensive multi-state cybercrime operation across southern India, the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has arrested 101 accused, including 18 women, and traced fraudulent transactions amounting to about Rs 17 crore.
The two-week operation commenced on September 23 and covered Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Puducherry, targeting individuals and networks involved in various forms of cyber-enabled financial crimes, TGSCB Director Shikha Goel said on Wednesday.
This is the second simultaneous multi-state operation led by the TGCSB, demonstrating its continued efforts to identify, trace and apprehend cybercrime networks operating across state boundaries and exploiting multiple jurisdictions.
Goel, in a release, said that six dedicated special teams consisting of more than 100 TGCSB personnel were deployed for coordinated field-level action.
Of those arrested, 19 were identified as agents and 81 as mule account holders.
Kerala accounted for 35 arrests, while 22 accused were arrested from Andhra Pradesh and 17 from Karnataka. 14 from Tamil Nadu, 12 from Telangana, and one from Puducherry.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of several mobile phones, SIM cards, bank passbooks, and cheque books that were allegedly used in various fraudulent transactions.
About Rs 17 crore in fraudulent transactions was traced through the mule accounts.
The investigation revealed that the accused belonged to diverse age groups, professions and educational backgrounds. A majority of the accused, 82 per cent, were in the 20–50 years age group, while 17 per cent were above 50 years.
Business/self-employment constituted the largest group at 23 per cent, followed by private employment (13 per cent), housewives/homemakers (10 per cent), drivers/operators (7 per cent), and sales/marketing (5 per cent).
Educationally, 26 per cent had Intermediate education, 24 per cent were graduates/degree holders, 16 per cent had secondary education, 11 per cent were uneducated, 7 per cent had diploma/ITI qualifications, 4 per cent had Primary education, while 3 per cent each were Postgraduates and had Professional/Other qualifications such as B.Tech and Nursing.
The operation identified several accused persons with extensive cybercrime linkages across the country, including an employee of a leading firm who allegedly acted as an agent by facilitating mule bank accounts for cybercrime fraudsters for commission, a graduate engaged in the money-exchange business who allegedly facilitated mule accounts on a commission basis, and an ex-serviceman allegedly involved in cybercrime activities and linked to six cybercrime cases across the country.
The Bureau also arrested an accused holding a Diploma in Film Technology linked to 26 cybercrime cases across the country, a businessman with an M.Com qualification linked to 34 cybercrime links, a Flipkart employee and graduate whose bank account was allegedly used for cybercrime-related fraudulent transactions for commission and was linked to 50 cybercrime cases across India and an MBA graduate working as Marketing Head of a group of companies, linked to 15 cybercrime cases across the country.
Investigation revealed that cyber fraudsters procured mule bank accounts through agents and intermediaries and used them for receiving, transferring and withdrawing fraudulent funds through various channels, including ATM withdrawals, bulk transfers and overseas-linked transactions. The account holders and intermediaries were paid commissions of up to 5 per cent of the fraudulent amount transacted through the accounts.
The arrests made during the operation are connected to 51 cases registered across the seven TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations (CCPS).
So far, 1,172 crime links across India have been traced, including 206 links connected to Telangana. Of the 101 arrested accused persons, 50 have more than five crime links across India, highlighting the extensive network of cybercrime linkages identified during the operation, Goel said.
Further investigation is underway to uncover additional crime links, interstate connections and international networks involved in this large-scale cybercrime operation.
