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Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
CBI busts two illegal call centres cheating Japan citizens; 6 held
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted a transnational technical support scam targeting Japanese nationals, arresting six individuals and unearthing two fake call centres after raids at 19 locations across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, the agency said on Thursday. The accused allegedly posed as Microsoft and Apple support representatives and defrauded Japanese victims of over ₹1.2 crore (approximately 20.3 million Japanese Yen). CBI's crackdown was part of Operation Chakra V, a nationwide campaign against cybercrime. The federal agency said it worked in close coordination with Japan's National Police Agency and Microsoft, which helped trace the scammers and their operational setup. 'This international cooperation was critical to identifying the perpetrators and dismantling the syndicate,' the CBI said in a statement. On Wednesday, six people were arrested: Ashu Singh from Delhi, Kapil Ghakhar from Panipat, Rohit Maurya from Ayodhya, and Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj, and Adarsh Kumar from Varanasi. Two fake call centres, which mimicked legitimate customer support hubs, were also unearthed. CBI said the syndicate tricked victims into believing their electronic devices were compromised. 'They coerced victims into transferring funds into mule accounts under the pretext of fixing supposed issues,' the agency said. The investigation focused on four incidents between April and July 2024, where Japanese citizens were targeted using a similar modus operandi. Victims received pop-up alerts on their computers claiming a virus infection and were directed to call a number. The calls connected them to scammers in India pretending to be Microsoft or Apple support staff. Once connected, the fraudsters used remote access tools, extracted sensitive information, and siphoned off funds, often pushing victims to buy gift cards or transfer money directly. In one case, a resident of Hyogo Prefecture lost over JPY 20 million after scammers accessed his bank details and converted the stolen money into cryptocurrency. Three other victims were duped into purchasing fake gift cards worth JPY 330,000. CBI said the fraudsters' Japanese was noticeably unnatural, with Hindi chatter audible in the background, and calls traced to Indian phone codes. An FIR in the case cited two Delhi-based individuals—Manmeet Singh Basra of RK Puram and Jiten Harchand of Chhatarpur Enclave—as key operators who handled lead generation, payment routing, and backend infrastructure. Harchand allegedly managed fund transfers and operated multiple Skype IDs used in the fraud. Between July and December 2024, 94 malicious URLs linked to Indian IPs generated Japanese-language pop-ups to lure victims. Preliminary findings suggest the scam used advanced social engineering and tech subterfuge to exploit its targets.
New Indian Express
29-05-2025
- New Indian Express
‘Operation Chakra-V': CBI busts transnational scam that posed as tech support to cheat Japanese citizens
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday said it has busted a cyber crime syndicate by arresting six of its alleged members, who targeted Japanese citizens as their victims. The six accused were apprehended following searches at 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials in the agency said. They said the accused have been identified as Ashu Singh (Delhi); Kapil Ghakhar (Panipat, Haryana); Rohit Maurya from Ayodhya; and Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj and Adarsh Kumar from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. 'As part of its ongoing efforts to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes under Operation Chakra-V, the CBI on May 28 conducted coordinated searches... the operation culminated in the arrest of six key operatives and the dismantling of two illegal call centres engaged in a sophisticated transnational tech support scam targeting Japanese citizens,' the agency said in an official statement after conducting 'Operation Chakra-V'.
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Business Standard
29-05-2025
- Business Standard
CBI arrests 6, busts 2 illegal call centres for cheating Japanese citizens
The CBI arrested six people and dismantled two illegal call centres for allegedly cheating Japanese citizens using tech support scams, officials said Thursday. After registering the case as part of its crackdown on cybercriminals in Operation Chakra V, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) worked closely with the Japan National Police Agency and Microsoft to identify the syndicate members and their locations. "This collaborative international engagement proved critical in identifying the perpetrators and tracing the operational structure of the syndicates, ultimately leading to the successful crackdown in India," the CBI said in a statement. Once the locations were identified, the CBI teams swooped down on 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday during which six alleged gang members were arrested and two illegal call centres were dismantled. The arrested were identified as Ashu Singh from Delhi, Kapil Ghakhar from Panipat, Rohit Maurya from Ayodhya, Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj and Adarsh Kumar from Varanasi. "The syndicate operated call centres designed to appear as legitimate customer service centres, through which victims were deceived into believing that their electronic devices were compromised," the CBI said, adding that under this pretext, victims were coerced into transferring funds into mule accounts. The searches resulted in the seizure of a trove of digital evidence, devices and documents "indicative of the large-scale operations of the syndicate." Preliminary analysis confirms that the scam leveraged advanced social engineering techniques and technical subterfuge to manipulate victims and extract money under false pretences.
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
CBI busts 2 illegal call centers in Delhi, 6 scammers arrested
The CBI arrested six people and dismantled two illegal call centres for allegedly cheating Japanese citizens using tech support scams, officials said Thursday. After registering the case as part of its crackdown on cybercriminals in Operation Chakra V, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) worked closely with the Japan National Police Agency and Microsoft to identify the syndicate members and their locations. "This collaborative international engagement proved critical in identifying the perpetrators and tracing the operational structure of the syndicates, ultimately leading to the successful crackdown in India," the CBI said in a statement. Once the locations were identified, the CBI teams swooped down on 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday during which six alleged gang members were arrested and two illegal call centres were dismantled. The arrested were identified as Ashu Singh from Delhi, Kapil Ghakhar from Panipat, Rohit Maurya from Ayodhya, Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj and Adarsh Kumar from Varanasi. "The syndicate operated call centres designed to appear as legitimate customer service centres, through which victims were deceived into believing that their electronic devices were compromised," the CBI said, adding that under this pretext, victims were coerced into transferring funds into mule accounts. The searches resulted in the seizure of a trove of digital evidence, devices and documents "indicative of the large-scale operations of the syndicate." Preliminary analysis confirms that the scam leveraged advanced social engineering techniques and technical subterfuge to manipulate victims and extract money under false pretences.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- The Hindu
‘Operation Chakra-V': CBI arrests six members of cybercrime syndicate targeting Japanese citizens
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested six alleged members of a transnational cybercrime syndicate that targeted Japanese citizens. They were held following searches at 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The accused have been identified as Ashu Singh (Delhi); Kapil Ghakhar (Panipat, Haryana); Rohit Maurya from Ayodhya, and Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj, and Adarsh Kumar from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. 'As part of its ongoing efforts to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes under Operation Chakra-V, the CBI on May 28 conducted coordinated operation culminated in the arrest of six key operatives and the dismantling of two illegal call centres engaged in a sophisticated transnational tech support scam targeting Japanese citizens,' said the agency on Thursday. The CBI had earlier registered a case based on credible intelligence indicating the existence of a cybercrime syndicate cheating foreign nationals, particularly those from Japan, by posing as technical support personnel from reputed multinational corporations, including Microsoft. The syndicate operated call centres, through which prospective victims were deceived into believing that their electronic devices were compromised. On this pretext, they were coerced into transferring funds into mule accounts for 'fixing' the problem. After registering the case, the CBI worked in close coordination with the National Police Agency of Japan and Microsoft Corporation. 'This collaborative international engagement proved critical in identifying the perpetrators and tracing the operational structure of the syndicates, ultimately leading to the successful crackdown in India,' said the agency. Preliminary analysis of the evidence gathered so far 'confirms that the scam leveraged advanced social engineering techniques and technical subterfuge to manipulate victims and extract money under false pretenses'.
