Life in jail for 9 in first digital-arrest conviction
The court agreed with the prosecution's charge that such crimes were nothing short of "economic terrorism".
Arrested from Maharashtra, Haryana and Gujarat, the nine convicted persons, one of them a woman, are part of a larger gang that has reportedly amassed Rs 100 crore by cheating 108 people across India. They are also likely to face trials elsewhere in the country.
Kalyani additional sessions judge Suberthi Sarkar, who had convicted the nine on Thursday, sentenced them to life imprisonment under BNS 338, which involves forging of documents, and 10 other penal offences under both BNS and IT Acts.
The defence indicated they would appeal against the conviction in Calcutta High Court.
You Can Also Check:
Kolkata AQI
|
Weather in Kolkata
|
Bank Holidays in Kolkata
|
Public Holidays in Kolkata
IGP (CID) Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi said the nine cyber criminals were tripped by strong digital evidence. "Investigation revealed the fraudsters were siphoning money through multiple bank accounts spread across different states. Police seized numerous bank passbooks, ATM cards, SIM cards and mobile phones during the operation.
A detailed analysis of beneficiary accounts and phone numbers led us to uncover this sophisticated network," the IGP said.
During the five-month trial, 29 witnesses from four different states testified physically before the Kalyani additional sessions judge. They included the SHO of Andheri (West) Police Station and branch managers of SBI, PNB, Canara Bank, Bandhan Bank, Federal Bank and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank from four states.
The charge sheet ran into 2,600 pages.
Special prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee said they highlighted the ordeal of other victims of the gang and stressed that such frauds were an "an act of economic terrorism". "We told the judge how the hard-earned money of two victims — one a retired professor and the other a retired state govt engineer — were transferred outside the country, one destination probably being Cambodia. This was their life's entire savings. Similarly, we highlighted how another victim had to sell his house to pay the accused and was forced to shift to an ashram," he told TOI.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
10 minutes ago
- Indian Express
CoinDCX offers 25% bounty to recover stolen crypto in $44-mn hack
CoinDCX, one of India's leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced a recovery bounty program after suffering a security breach that led to the loss of approximately $44 million (around Rs 379 crore). The company is offering up to 25 per cent of the recovered funds as a reward to those who help retrieve the stolen crypto and assist in identifying and bringing the attackers to justice. If all lost assets are recovered, the bounty could reach a total value of $11 million (Rs 94.6 crore). In a statement, CoinDCX emphasised that the effort goes beyond just recovering funds — it's about uniting the Web3 community to stand against cybercrime. 'This is not just about us. This is about standing up for what's right, for the safety, transparency, and future of the entire Web3 ecosystem. It's a war against cybercrime,' the company said. Co-founder Neeraj Khandelwal highlighted that the breach was not only an attack on CoinDCX but on trust itself. 'When one of us is targeted, all of us are affected. CoinDCX is committed to using this incident as a turning point—to strengthen our defenses, reinforce transparency, and work with the best minds in the industry to make recovery real and replicable,' he said. He added that the company is actively working with an exchange partner to block and recover the stolen assets and is fully committed to the recovery effort. 'We will emerge from this stronger, together,' Khandelwal said. The company also issued a call to action, inviting ethical hackers, white-hat researchers, and partners across the ecosystem to join the fight against cybercrime.
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Woman thrown off moving bus, injured
Trichy: A 23-year-old woman was thrown off a moving govt bus when it took a sharp turn near Srirangam on Sunday. The bus driver was booked for rash driving. Sources said the TNSTC bus was travelling from Peruvalappur to Chathiram bus stand. Anandhi, from J J Nagar in Srirangam, was travelling home after work around 5.50pm. She was standing near the front entry of the bus, which lacked doors. Suddenly, the driver made a sharp and swift turn in the roundabout near Kannimarthoppu. Anandhi was thrown off and she fell on the road. She suffered an injury on her head and lacerations on hands. She was admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital. Based on a complaint from Anandhi's mother Kumutham, traffic police registered a case against driver R Rajesh, 40, from Lalgudi, under BNS sections 281 (rash driving) and 125a (endangering life).
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Dalit woman accuses neighbour of caste abuse, assault over electrical work
Ahmedabad: A dispute over underground electrical repair work in a residential society in Baroda village of Daskroi taluka escalated into serious allegations of caste-based abuse and physical assault between neighbours, with both parties filing complaints against each other. According to police, a 66-year-old Dalit woman alleged that her upper-caste neighbours hurled casteist slurs, physically assaulted her and her pregnant niece, and issued death threats following a disagreement over electrical work near her residence on Sunday evening. She stated that she had earlier warned the electrician not to dig too deep due to suspected underground wiring. When the electrician did not stop the work, a verbal argument reportedly turned violent. In her complaint, the woman alleged that members of her neighbour's family verbally abused her with caste-related slurs, seized her walking stick, and beat both her and her niece. She further claimed that her niece sustained injuries to her face and legs during the assault. As evidence, she submitted three video clips purportedly showing the verbal abuse and assault, and named two residents who allegedly witnessed the incident and intervened. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Waterthorpe: £19.99 Will-Writing Service Legacy Wills & Estate Planning Undo You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Meanwhile, the neighbours filed a counter-complaint, alleging unlawful entry and assault by the Dalit woman and her niece. They claimed the duo barged into their home armed with a metal pipe and a wooden stick. The upper-caste complainant alleged that they were beaten and threatened with being falsely implicated in an atrocity case to force them out of the society. Police at Vivekanandnagar station have registered both FIRs under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Further investigation is underway, police said.
