Delhi police busts interstate cybercrime, sextortion syndicate
NEW DELHI
The cyber cell of Delhi Police's crime branch busted an interstate cybercrime and sextortion network operating across Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The syndicate has left a digital money trail exceeding ₹5 crore, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.
Officials said six accused have been arrested and nine more bound down for questioning.
The arrests came after, acting on a tip-off, police on May 24 intercepted a delivery of synthetic bank account kits in east Delhi, deputy commissioner of police (crime) Aditya Gautam said. 'During the subsequent raids, Ujjawal Pandey, 30, Gaurav Barua, 24, and Yug Sharma, 19, were caught red-handed in Mayur Vihar with pre-activated SIM cards, forged bank documents, and devices used to manipulate digital transactions. These 'kits' enabled criminals to operate untraceable shadow banking systems,' he said.
Subsequent leads led police to an illegal call centre in Mundka, headed by Dilshad Ali, 33, a former insurance employee. The call centre scammed victims by offering fake bank loans, police said. 'Victims were asked for documents and upfront fees via QR codes and then left incommunicado once payments were made. Several employees, including young telecallers, were found complicit,' the DCP said.
Further investigation led to a sextortion module operating from New Ashok Nagar. The gang allegedly lured victims via social media, initiated explicit WhatsApp video calls, secretly recorded the sessions, and then extorted money under threat of public exposure.
Police identified the other accused as Mohammad Jahid, 20, Mohammad Raheesh, 21, and Jayshree, 24, a former BPO employee who goes by a single name, who allegedly lured and blackmailed targets.
'We have recovered 28 mobile phones, 30 SIM cards, 15 debit cards, eight cheque books, two laptops, and numerous incriminating videos and images. The operation has revealed an alarming nexus of tech-savvy youth, unemployed individuals, and former professionals, all exploiting digital platforms to run parallel economies,' Gautam said.
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