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Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Indian Express
International cyber fraud racket busted in Noida, police arrest 18 ‘Microsoft support agents'
The Noida Police on Thursday busted an international cyber fraud racket and arrested 18 people, who allegedly ran a fake call centre posing as 'Microsoft support agents'. The group targeted foreign nationals and duped them of thousands of dollars, the police said on Friday. Operating from a rented house in Sector 65, the accused — two of whom are women — used sophisticated tools to send malware to the computers of the victims. By misleading them into believing that their devices were compromised, they coerced the victims into granting remote access to their systems and paying hefty fees for 'repair'. The police raided the centre and recovered 23 laptops, 25 headsets, 23 computer mice, 27 laptop chargers, 17 mobile phones, a pen drive, and several fake Microsoft ID cards from the premises. The arrested individuals hailed from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Many of them were staying at rented flats in Noida's Sector 116 and Sector 50, the police said. According to police reports, the group acquired data of foreign nationals, mostly American citizens, through contacts based in the US. The scammers would first send bulk emails warning users of a bug in their systems, urging them to call a technical support number. When unsuspecting users responded, their calls would be redirected to the fake call centre in Noida, facilitated by a specific software, the police said. The fraudsters would then pose as Microsoft technical experts and convince the callers to install certain remote-access applications. 'Once granted access, they would open a command prompt and show fake evidence of viruses, warning them that their bank accounts and credit cards were at risk of being hacked,' said Shakti Mohan Awasthy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Noida. He added that the callers were pressured into buying expensive software packages to remove the supposed bugs, priced anywhere between 250 dollars to as high as 5,000 dollars. Payments were received through various channels, including one called 'Zelle' and cryptocurrency wallets, the officer said. The gang had been operating for at least six months, with two masterminds identified as Aakash Tiwari and Akash Kumar who allegedly coordinated with an accomplice in the US who was responsible for 'email blasting' sending fake warning messages to foreign nationals in bulk, the police said. The accused have been booked at the Noida Phase 3 Police Station under multiple sections. Police said that the scam had been operational for the past six months, and they are probing the network's links in the US and other countries. More arrests are likely, Awasthy said.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Time of India
100+ phones lost in Noida autos & buses find their way home
Noida: About 100 smartphones that were reported lost were traced and returned to their owners by the Noida Police (Central) surveillance cell and Phase 2 Police. The operation was conducted over one year, and the team was awarded Rs 25,000 for their efforts. Noida (central) DCP Shakti Mohan Awasthy said police commissioner Laxmi Singh had instructed the zone's police to find phones that were reported lost or stolen over the last year. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida Under the supervision of DCP Awasthy and additional DCP Hridesh Kathariya, a team was formed to trace the lost phones through International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number tracking and surveillance. IMEI is a unique serial number that identifies a mobile phone or any other cellular device. Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, a govt platform operated by the department of telecommunication, monitors stolen mobile phones using their IMEI numbers. In May, TOI reported that more than 50 lakh mobile phone details have been registered nationwide on the CEIR portal since May 16, 2023. Of these, 31 lakh devices have been blocked and 19 lakh located. The actual recovery of mobile phones, however, lags at just 4.22 lakh across the country. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dukung Orang Terkasih Menghadapi Limfoma: Mulai Di Sini Limfoma Baca Undo In Uttar Pradesh, according to the portal, a total of 1.7 lakh devices were blocked and 1.1 lakh handsets were traced. Police have so far successfully retrieved 27,537 devices. In Delhi, 7.7 lakh phones were blocked and 4.6 lakh mobile phones were located. Police have so far recovered 8,951. However, in this case, the majority of these phones weren't stolen, but misplaced. DCP Awasthy said some had reportedly fallen off their owners' pockets in crowded areas, some got left behind in autos, e-rickshaws, taxis, buses and metros, while a few fell off motorcycles. Some daily wage labourers had lost their phones at worksites.
The Print
10-06-2025
- The Print
Boy missing since 2015 from Noida traced in Haryana; identified by injury marks, say police
A case of kidnapping was registered under Indian Penal Code Section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) on November 6, 2015, but despite sustained efforts over the years, no leads emerged and the final report was submitted in December 2022, police said. The boy, who was seven when he went missing in 2015 from Gejha village in the Phase-2 area, is now around 17 years old, a Central Noida police officer said. Noida, Jun 11 (PTI) A boy who went missing from Noida nearly a decade ago was traced to Haryana and reunited with his family on Tuesday after police identified him by his old injury marks, officials said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Awasthy said a breakthrough came when Surajkund police in Haryana arrested a man named Mangal Kumar on May 28 in connection with a separate kidnapping case. During interrogation, Kumar revealed that he had abducted another child from Noida and changed his name The Surajkund police informed their counterparts in Noida, but the child's changed name made it difficult for police to immediately identify him. The boy, currently in custody, was questioned by police about his family and childhood. Officers studied records for six continuous hours and eventually linked him to FIR No. 723/2015. He remembered his parents' names but not the address. A mobile number from the FIR, registered in the name of the father's friend, led police to Agra, where the family had since moved. The family came for physical identification and confirmed the child based on a cut on one finger of his right hand and a mark under his left eye, police said. He will be handed over to the family after completing legal procedures and a DNA test for final confirmation, officials added. DCP Awasthy announced a cash reward of Rs 25,000 for the police team for their efforts in the case. PTI COR OZ OZ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
