Latest news with #SessionInitiationProtocol
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Raigad police bust huge cyber fraud racket, arrest 11, seize 6,175 SIM cards
NAVI MUMBAI: In a significant breakthrough, the Raigad cyber police have dismantled a cyber fraud operation with nationwide and international links. Eleven individuals have been arrested for their involvement in the racket, which targeted elderly citizens by using fake identities of central government and law enforcement officials. Raigad police bust huge cyber fraud racket, arrest 11, seize 6,175 SIM cards The gang operated using telecom-grade SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) infrastructure to impersonate officials from agencies such as the CBI, Supreme Court and cyber police. The case came to light after a Raigad resident filed a complaint on May 23, stating that he had been defrauded of ₹66 lakh. 'He received multiple WhatsApp and voice calls from fraudsters posing as central government officials, who accused him of money laundering and threatened to arrest him unless he paid a hefty fine,' said the investigating officer. 'Under psychological pressure, the victim transferred the money to several accounts over a span of several days.' The investigation led the police to a Central Bank account held by Abdus Salam Barbhuyan, through which the stolen funds had been routed. 'Further digital tracking pointed to a company named Nivi Cloud Pvt Ltd, hosted at the Yotta Data Centre in Panvel,' said superintendent of police Anchal Dalal. 'The listed director, Vineet Duva, was discovered to be a fake identity.' The police arrested Nadeem Ahmed, Laraib Khan, Shadan Khan and Mohd Faisal Khan, four men from Shahganj, Jaunpur (UP), who were allegedly manufacturing fake KYC documents. The documents were reportedly made with the help of two Jio sales managers, Vinay Kumar Rao and Gangadhar Muttan. 'The duo procured SIP lines in the names of shell companies. These lines were then used to make fraudulent calls across India,' said the officer. At the centre of the racket was Abhay Santprakash Mishra, a BTech graduate from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. He worked as an aggregator, setting up multiple servers to operate both domestic and international SIP lines. 'Mishra's network was found to have ties to Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, China, and Bangladesh. He was also found attempting to secure fake documents for Nepalese citizenship,' said Dalal. The investigation revealed that one of the servers operated by Mishra had made over 6.2 million calls in just 28 days, including 87,000 to target victims in Maharashtra. Upon his arrest, the authorities recovered 35 mobile phones, laptops, tablets, VPN equipment and documents related to 112 bank accounts. The police have also seized cryptocurrency worth ₹85 lakh as well as real estate assets, including a flat in Noida, two shops in Hardoi and a bungalow in Nepal. In a related arrest, Mohsin Mia Khan was apprehended in Delhi with 6,175 SIM cards from providers such as Jio, Airtel, VI and several foreign telecom companies. He had 26 mobile phones and admitted to supplying SIM cards for use in cyber fraud activities. The police have also arrested Shams Tahir Khan, an MBA from Rajasthan, who helped market and sell illegal SIP connections.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
VoIP scam busted in Ahmedabad, gang uses fake TRAI threats to cheat thousands
Both accused in police custody AHMEDABAD: A sophisticated cybercrime involving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling scam — was dismantled in the city which cheated citizens by impersonating officials and threatening to block their sim cards. Two alleged members of a cybercrime gang, Lovekesh Kumar and Anubhav Gupta (also referred to as Anurag Gupta), were arrested earlier in Delhi and Uttarakhand respectively. The gang members impersonated as officials fromthe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and threatened victims that their sim cards would be blocked within two hours. Those who fell prey to this initial threat were then targeted for cyber cheating, including digital arrest and investment fraud. The operation, running since 2021, involved making fraudulent calls through VoIP from countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, and Hong Kong. These international calls were routed through servers in Germany and then to a server located in a building near PERD centre in Thaltej. 'The choice of Ahmedabad city as a hub was due to the city's STD '79' prefix, which usedto create an impression that the calls were local mobile numbers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo They planned to expand similar operations to Indore and Bangalore,' said a senior police official. 'The two suspects were in contact with Cindy Wan, their Chinese associate,who had instructed them to provide certain services. They are also linked to criminal gangs operating in Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, and Iraq,' said cyber crime DCP Lavina Sinha. The criminals used Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) lines for VoIP calls, initially purchasing 500 sessions and planning to expand. After a tip off from the Gujarat ATS, a raid was at the Thaltej building where three servers were located. Assistant police commissioner H S Makadia and inspector J P Thakor, along with their teams, used technical and human intelligence to identify the suspects. A company for this operation was established by Kumar and Taruna Wadhwa. They initially had 1500 call lines and later added two more, allowing for up to 4500 simultaneous calls. This meant making around 65,000 calls daily between April 20 and 24 targeting people across India. Kumar had a previous visa fraud case against him in Karnal in Haryana. His accomplice Anubhav Gupta from Dehradun, provided technical support. Gupta was earlier booked for a similar crime in Sonipat, from which he was bailed in March 2023.
