TGCSB arrests 101 in multi-state cybercrime crackdown, traces Rs 17-Cr fraud
Hyderabad, Oct 7 (TNT): The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has arrested 101 persons, including 18 women, and traced fraudulent transactions worth around Rs 17 crore in a two-week coordinated operation against cybercrime networks across six States and a Union Territory.
The operation, launched on September 23, covered Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, targeting individuals and networks involved in cyber-enabled financial crimes, the TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said in a release on Wednesday.
Six special teams comprising more than 100 TGCSB personnel were deployed for the operation.
Of the 101 accused arrested, 35 were from Kerala, 22 from Andhra Pradesh, 17 from Karnataka, 14 from Tamil Nadu, 12 from Telangana and one from Puducherry.
The arrested included 19 agents and 81 mule account holders.
Police also seized several mobile phones, SIM cards, bank passbooks and cheque books allegedly used in fraudulent transactions.
The investigation revealed that cyber fraudsters obtained mule bank accounts through agents and intermediaries to receive, transfer and withdraw fraudulent funds through ATM withdrawals, bulk transfers and overseas-linked transactions.
The account holders and intermediaries were allegedly paid commissions of up to five per cent of the fraudulent amount transacted through the accounts.
The arrests are connected to 51 cases registered across the seven TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations. Investigators have so far traced 1,172 crime links across the country, including 206 linked to Telangana.
Of the 101 arrested, 50 were found to have more than five crime links each, the release said.
The operation identified several accused allegedly having extensive cybercrime linkages.
An ex-serviceman was linked to six cases, a Diploma in Film Technology holder to 26 cases, a businessman with an M.Com qualification to 34 cases and a Flipkart employee to 50 cases across the country, it said.
An MBA graduate working as Marketing Head of Manju Group of Companies was linked to 15 cybercrime cases, while NGO trust accounts allegedly misused for receiving and transferring cybercrime funds were linked to 60 cases across India.
In coordinated action across States, the Karnataka team arrested Tukaram Hembade in Bengaluru in connection with CCPS Warangal Crime registered in last year, while the Andhra Pradesh team arrested Kokkarlapati Siddhu Varma at Anakapalli in connection with the same cases.
The CCPS Headquarters team also arrested C. Vijay Kumar in Puducherry in connection with Crime relating to a movie piracy case.
Further investigation is underway to identify additional crime links, interstate connections and international networks involved in the operation.
The TGCSB urged citizens to remain alert against fake online trading and digital arrest scams and advised them not to share personal or banking information, OTPs or QR codes with unknown persons.
It also asked citizens not to transfer money to unfamiliar bank accounts or links shared through social media.
Cybercrime can be reported through the 1930 helpline or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
TNT TS
