BENGALURU: In a significant development, law enforcement officials have taken down a sizable Bengaluru-based cybercrime network. 5 013 cases have been registered nationally as a result of the operation, which revealed transactions of Rs 854 crores split across 84 bank accounts. The Bengaluru Cyber Crime Branch (CCB) has been crucial in the capture of members of this criminal organisation. The group behind these illegal acts has been apprehended by the CCB cybercrime police after 17 cases in total in the city were reported.Notably, while they were residing abroad, the accused were managing the accounts from Bengaluru. A number of important gang members with ties to Bengaluru, including Navara Manoj nicknamed Jock, Phanindra, Vasanth, Srinivasa, Chakradar alias Chakri, and Somashekhar alias Uncle, were working together with accomplices abroad. One of those detained is Ainathi Asami, who was in charge of overseeing the bank accounts of people living in Bangalore’s Vidyaranyapur and Yelahanka neighbourhoods. This sophisticated cybercrime operation’s method of operation involves sending messages with employment offers to people all throughout India using apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. Potential victims were persuaded to take part in what they thought were casual occupations connected to Google. With the prospect of remuneration, they were instructed to rate various stores and submit Google reviews.After people joined a Telegram channel, the defendant urged them to fund cryptocurrency-related businesses. They were lured into investing amounts between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 10,000. After investing, customers would be guaranteed daily profits of between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000. The stakes rose gradually as more people invested and confidence was established, and victims contributed thousands and even crores of rupees. These monies were subsequently put into various Bengaluru bank accounts. The money was then transferred into international bank accounts, where it was used to buy bitcoin for the cybercriminal gang controlling the bank accounts.The foreign group would then make various investments in foreign businesses with these cash. Law enforcement organisations seized computers, mobile phones, laptops, bank account information, credit cards, debit cards, swipe machines, SIM cards, printers, and chequebooks as part of the operation. Additionally, the CCB police have frozen Rs 5 crore in the accused’s bank accounts.
