Latest news with #NationalCyberCrimeReportingPortal
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
FIR lodged 11 months after woman filed GD in digital-arrest fraud
1 2 Kolkata: A woman, who fell victim to a digital arrest fraud in July last year and was duped of Rs 7 lakh, could finally lodge an FIR at the Phoolbagan Police Station on Wednesday, 11 months after cops made her run "back and forth like a shuttlecock", trying to recover her money. The woman claimed that when the cybercrooks had robbed her of her savings last year, police had advised her against lodging an FIR and so, she had filed a GD at the local cyber cell and Lalbazar. While lodging the FIR, the woman said there had been no progress in the investigation over the past year. A senior police officer said, "We have received the complaint and started an investigation. Our cyber cell is working on tracing the culprits, using phone numbers and bank account details." In her complaint, the resident of CIT Road gave the details of how the scamsters had impersonated as Customs officers and Delhi Police officers and conned her in a series of phone calls. She had received the first call on July 3, 2024, the caller posing as a Customs officer. The accused transferred the call to another number, where someone else, posing as a Delhi Police officer, continued the conversation, the woman said. The fraudsters threatened her into transferring Rs 7 lakh to an account number, ending with 1502, via through RTGS. The transaction was completed at 4.26 pm on July 3. "I am a middle-class woman who was deprived of her savings through this elaborate scam. Since one year is about to lapse, nothing fruitful and tangible has happened for a lady, who lives along with her daughter, moving like a shuttlecock," the woman stated in her complaint. She also mentioned that she had filed a report at the Lalbazar cyber cell, which had issued an acknowledgement number. A police officer claimed the culprits had managed to evade them so far and that filing a GD, instead of an FIR, did not make any difference in their investigation. Experts advise citizens to be cautious while taking calls from unknown numbers and also about callers, claiming to be from govt departments. They warn against sharing bank details and transferring money. Police also urge cyber fraud victims to immediately report to police stations and lodge a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Scam valley? Surat men funnel Rs 1,000 crore in global cyber fraud; 89 bank accounts targeted
International cyber criminals transferred over Rs 1,455 crore through 89 Indian bank accounts in just six months, Gujarat Police revealed on Friday. These accounts were provided to the criminals on a commission basis, by three men from Surat, according to police inspector SN Desai. The fraud came to light after the arrest of Kirat Jadwani, Meet Khokhar, and Mayur Italia on May 28. The men were held on charges of cheating and forgery, after police recovered 21 debit cards, 30 cheque books, and six PAN cards issued under different names. Their arrest followed a routine vehicle check in Surat's Udhna area, where an associate was caught carrying fake PAN cards and firm stamps. 'We found the trio had opened 165 bank accounts using documents of people who had applied for personal loans. They gave access to the criminals for cyber crimes including digital arrest, hawala transfer, task fraud, betting, stock market fraud, online cheating and OTP fraud,' Desai said. According to Desai, the accused got in touch with cyber gangs based in Cuba, Thailand, and Malaysia through the messaging app Telegram. In exchange for access to the accounts, they were offered handsome commissions. 'We have so far received details of 89 of these 165 accounts from the bank. All identified accounts have since been frozen after victims lodged complaints,' Desai said. The police believe the fraudsters used a clever trick to get the bank accounts opened, approaching people applying for personal loans and taking their documents, claiming they could help secure the funds. After opening an account using those documents, they would return the papers to the applicant, saying the loan was rejected. 'Since they used to give their own mobile number to get an OTP, the applicant never realised that a bank account had been opened in their name,' Desai explained. "Initially, the gang would lease out each account for a one-time fee of Rs 7 lakh to Rs 17 lakh. As their operations grew, they began charging a 3% to 4% cut of every transaction routed through the accounts. In just six months, the three accused earned Rs 10 crore from commission as the transactions in each of these accounts used to continue all day. The total amount would go up to Rs 30 to 40 crore in each account," he added. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal has already received nearly 2,500 complaints linked to these accounts, including 265 from Gujarat alone, over the past six months.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business Standard
Gujarat cops bust cyber crime racket; transactions worth Rs 1,455 cr found
International cyber criminals routed Rs 1,455 crore in six months using 89 bank accounts provided to them on commission basis by three men from Surat in Gujarat, police officials said on Friday. This was found out after Kirat Jadwani, Meet Khokhar and Mayur Italia were arrested on May 28 for cheating and forgery after the recovery of 21 debit cards, 30 cheque books and six PAN cards issued to different individuals, Udhna police station inspector SN Desai said. They were arrested after one of their associates was caught with PAN cards and stamps of various firms during a routine vehicle check in Udhna, he said. "We found the trio had opened 165 bank accounts using documents of people who had applied for personal loans. They gave access to these accounts to cyber criminals for crimes such as digital arrest, hawala transfer, task fraud, betting, stock market fraud, online cheating and OTP fraud," said Desai. The three came in contact with cyber criminals based in Cuba, Thailand and Malaysia through Telegram app, who offered to give them lucrative commission for use of these bank accounts, Desai said. "We have so far received details of 89 of these 165 accounts from the bank. Transactions worth Rs 1,455 crore were done in these 89 accounts in just six months by cyber fraudsters. Each of these accounts were used for a few days to route the money to other bank accounts or cryptocurrency wallets," Desai informed. None of these bank accounts are active because they were frozen immediately after the victims registered complaints, the official added. As per a preliminary probe, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal has so far received nearly 2,500 complaints, including 265 in Gujarat, against these 165 bank accounts used by the cyber criminals to dupe victims across India in six months, Desai said. 'The trio used to collect documents of people by promising them to get a personal loan using their contacts. Using those documents, they used to open a bank account and return the documents to the owner claiming that the loan application was rejected. Since they used to give their own mobile number to get an OTP, the applicant never realised that a bank account had been opened in their name," said Desai. In the beginning, the trio had given each bank account for a one-time rent of Rs 7 lakh to 17 lakh and then charged 3 to 4 per cent of the total transaction in the account, he said. "In just six months, the three accused earned Rs 10 crore from commission as the transactions in each of these accounts used to continue all day. The total amount would go up to Rs 30 to 40 crore in each account," he said.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi Police rolls out e-Zero FIR protocol for cyber frauds
Ten days after Union home minister Amit Shah announced the launch of an e-Zero FIR initiative to expedite action against cybercrime, Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora issued a formal order detailing the protocol to be followed by field officers. The initiative, launched as a pilot in Delhi on May 17, aims to fast-track investigations, improve fund recovery, and crack down on cyber fraud. Shah had said in a May 19 post on X that financial cyber complaints lodged on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) or via helpline 1930 would automatically be converted into FIRs — initially for frauds above ₹10 lakh. The system will later be expanded nationwide. In an order dated May 29, Arora instructed that investigations must begin without waiting for the complainant's signature. Officers are required to issue notices asking the complainant to sign the FIR at the local cyber police station within 72 hours. The initiative integrates the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre's (I4C) NCRP system, Delhi Police's e-FIR platform, and the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), the order said. Once an e-Zero FIR is registered at the cyber crime branch police station, it will be transferred to the concerned territorial cyber police station. Investigative steps — such as freezing bank accounts, obtaining call detail records, and collecting CCTV footage — must begin immediately. 'Ensure the complainant is contacted without delay and requested to sign the printed copy of the FIR within 72 hours,' Arora's directive stated. If the complainant fails to appear, a formal notice must be issued stating that the case will proceed in accordance with Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which lays out the procedure for recording cognisable offences. An official aware of the process added that if the FIR remains unsigned after 30 days, it is liable to be withdrawn. The order also clarified the delegation of cases based on the value of fraud: complaints involving over ₹50 lakh will be handled by the DCP (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations); those between ₹25 lakh and ₹50 lakh will be transferred to the DCP (Crime); and cases between ₹10 lakh and ₹25 lakh will be dealt with by the SHO of the cyber police station concerned. The commissioner emphasised that cyber police stations in each district must be made fully functional, with clearly defined responsibilities.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Delhi Police arrest Maharashtra Home Guard who conned women on matrimonial website
An employee with the Home Guard Department in Maharashtra, who allegedly deceived innocent women on the pretext of marriage through a matrimonial website, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Wednesday. The accused, Nagesh Arjun Pawar, a 29-year-old resident of Mumbai, was found siphoning off money from unsuspecting victims by promising them marriage, according to police reports. Six complaints registered on various cybercrime portals have been linked to the same modus operandi. Investigations are ongoing to identify other victims and ascertain the full extent of his cyber crimes, the police said. The case came to light after a woman filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal alleging that she was defrauded of Rs 20 lakh by a man posing as Vishal Bhosle. The complainant had created a profile on the matrimonial website and was contacted by Bhosle, who claimed to work at Morgan Stanley, a multinational financial services company, in Worli, Mumbai. He also convinced her that he owned a 50 per cent stake in Adventure Water Sports and Mansion Sahara Star Club. According to the Delhi Police, Bhosle would ask the woman for money under the guise of various emergencies, including hospital admissions, car accidents, and mobile phone purchases, as their relationship progressed. The transactions eventually amounted to Rs 20 lakh, the woman stated to the police. Upon realising that the woman had been deceived, she reported the matter online, which led to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) and a subsequent investigation. 'During the investigation, the details of the accounts of the complainant were obtained from the bank. On the basis of information obtained from the bank and technical analysis, we located the accused at Kandivali East in Mumbai. Accordingly, a raid was conducted at the hideout and one accused, namely Nagesh Arjun Pawar, was arrested,' said Rajiv Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rohini. According to the police, Pawar allegedly confessed to creating a fake identity using fabricated photos and details under the name Vishal Bhosle on the matrimonial site. He admitted to coercing the complainant into transferring funds and even acquiring a credit card in her name, which he used for his luxuries. He revealed that the money received was used to sustain a lavish lifestyle.
