Latest news with #OperationHydra
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- New Indian Express
Operation Hydra: TN police arrest seven cyber criminals in nationwide hunt
CHENNAI: In a nationwide operation called Operation Hydra, the Cyber Crime Wing of Tamil Nadu Police has arrested seven cyber criminals across multiple states, including Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Assam and Delhi. The accused were allegedly involved in highly organised cyber fraud networks ranging from matrimonial investment scams to phishing and fake scholarship rackets, police said. M Daoud (21) and M Vaseem (34) from Jaspur, Uttarakhand, were arrested on last Wednesday for their alleged role in matrimonial and investment scams. The accused allegedly lured the victims through fake profiles and coaxed them into transferring large sums of money on the promise of high investment returns. The duo managed mule bank accounts to channel the proceeds of crime, a release said. Three more men were arrested in the weekend in connection with a phishing scam, where a victim was tricked via fake KYC update. The victim allegedly lost Rs 4,05,100 in the transaction. Police arrested Pankaj Kumar (40) from Jharkhand on Friday, Hiteswar Biswas (30) from Hojai, Assam, on Saturday, and Nihar Ranjan Nath (51) from Nagaon, Assam, on Sunday. In an alleged scholarship scam targeting students, police arrested Preeti Nicholas (30) and Meshach (19) from Delhi on Sunday. A total of 35 bank accounts, six mobile numbers, and two phones have been seized. All suspects are in custody and further investigation is under way.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- The Hindu
T.N. cyber crime wing arrests seven persons for matrimonial, phishing and scholarship scams
In a pan-India operation, the Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police arrested seven persons allegedly involved in organised cyber fraud activities, including matrimonial fraud, phishing scams, and a scholarship scam. Under 'Operation Hydra,' the officers of the wing were deployed across various States, including Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Assam, and Delhi. According to the police, Mohd Daoud, 21, and Mohd Vaseem, 34, both from Jaspur, Uttarakhand, were part of a fake matrimonial profile fraud. The victims were lured through fraudulent profiles and investment schemes promising high returns. Both suspects allegedly played a direct role in facilitating mule bank accounts used to launder the proceeds of the scams. In another case, a fraudster impersonated an ICICI Bank customer care executive, asking the victim to download an APK file via WhatsApp for a supposed KYC update. This gave the scammer access to sensitive data, including PAN and debit card details. The accused then initiated a fraudulent personal loan transaction and siphoned off a total of ₹4,05,100 from the victim's account. A special team arrested Pankaj Kumar, 40, from Jharkhand, Hiteswar Biswas alias Hitu, 30, from Hojai, Assam, and Nihar Ranjan Nath, 51, from Nagaon, Assam in connection with the case. The police said they were part of a wider syndicate involved in fraudulent digital lending transactions and managing mule accounts. In another case, students were targeted with the promise of government financial aid for education. The fraudsters collected personal details and small payments as 'processing fees' before disappearing. This case was registered by the Thanjavur Cyber Crime police station, and the investigation led to the arrest of the main accused, Preeti Nicholas, 30, and Meshach,19), both from Northeast Delhi. The police said nine persons had been arrested from Delhi in the past two months in connection with the scholarship scam. They were found to be involved in collecting student data and creating forged digital documents to support the fraudulent scheme.
