Did the CBI Capture a Cyber Criminal Targeting Japanese Citizens?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Significant arrest made by CBI at Bhubaneswar Airport.
- Dwibendu Moharana linked to cyber fraud against Japanese citizens.
- Collaboration with international agencies enhances efforts.
- Ongoing investigations have led to multiple arrests.
- CBI's commitment to combating cyber-enabled financial crimes is evident.
New Delhi, Nov 1 (NationPress) A cyber criminal linked to defrauding Japanese citizens through fraudulent tech support services has been apprehended by the CBI at Bhubaneswar Airport during his return to India, as confirmed by an official on Saturday.
Dwibendu Moharana, a primary suspect in a global cybercrime network, was detained on October 30 and subsequently placed in CBI custody by a court for further questioning, according to the statement.
The federal investigative agency revealed that following synchronized raids on May 28 at 19 sites across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, resulting in the capture of six accomplices, Moharana fled from Bhubaneswar to the UAE on May 29.
He left the country immediately after his call center at Voip Connect Pvt Limited in Noida was exposed, as per the CBI.
Investigations indicated that he managed an illegal call center that employed advanced social engineering tactics, impersonating representatives from multinational firms to trick Japanese victims into transferring money under misleading circumstances.
Upon his capture on October 30, Moharana was transferred to Delhi under a transit warrant and presented before the Special CBI Court. He has been remanded to police custody for three days for interrogation.
The CBI reported that it has apprehended seven individuals in connection with this case and filed charge sheets against all of them. All accused individuals are currently in judicial custody.
This operation, conducted in collaboration with the National Police Agency of Japan and Microsoft Corporation, has significantly disrupted the syndicate's activities, according to the CBI.
The agency reiterated its commitment to fighting cyber-enabled financial crimes and reassured the public of its ongoing strategic, multi-agency initiatives to dismantle international cybercrime networks.
On October 8, the CBI executed coordinated nationwide searches at approximately 40 locations across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, and West Bengal in relation to a transnational cyber-enabled 'digital arrest' scam, as part of the ongoing Operation Chakra V.
The central agency noted that it had filed a detailed FIR based on complaints received on the NCRP Portal of I4C MHA from nine distinct victims of digital arrest.
“The CBI then conducted a thorough investigation focusing on both mule accounts and communication channels used to contact the victims. This led to the identification of around 40 individuals involved in the organized cybercrime network perpetrating the digital arrest scam,” stated the probe agency.