After detecting a fraudulent website having a similar URL as the Supreme Court’s official website, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) formed 60 special teams and carried out raids at 80 locations across 16 states and union territories as part of a major crackdown on the cybercrime infrastructure facilitating digital arrest scams, agency said on Thursday.
The states and UTs covered during the raids include Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal, Manipur, Karnataka and Odisha.
“The searches were carried out as part of an ongoing investigation aimed at dismantling a targeted operational network involved in over 200 cases of digital arrest cases and arrested two persons from Chennai and Kolkata for their alleged involvement in the incorporation of shell companies and the opening and operation of mule bank accounts,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
These accounts, the spokesperson said, were “used for laundering approximately ₹two crores of suspected proceeds of crime”.
The agency further claimed that it recently unearthed a fraudulent website bearing a URL deceptively similar to the official website of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.
“The fraudsters allegedly used this fraudulently registered domain to deceive victims under the guise of digital arrest. Based on a complaint received from the Registry of the Supreme Court of India, CBI registered an FIR and commenced investigation into the matter,” the agency said.
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The agency leveraged advanced forensic tools and technical expertise to identify critical elements of the criminal infrastructure operating both within India and abroad.
“Investigation has revealed that the perpetrators uploaded forged and fabricated documents, including fake orders resembling those issued by courts and various law enforcement agencies, to lend credibility to their fraudulent activities,” the agency added.
During the searches, CBI has arrested two individuals B Naresh from Chennai and Sanjib Saha from Kolkata who were allegedly involved in the crimes.
CBI has also recovered several incriminating documents, digital devices, mobile phones and records relating to bank transactions, which are being subjected to detailed forensic examination and analysis.
CBI has also found evidence indicating that, in addition to Indian citizens, nationals of several other countries may have been defrauded by the same network, it said, adding that the concerned law enforcement agencies in those jurisdictions are being alerted through appropriate channels.
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