Kamal Ghorui
Noida: Four fraudsters, who used to threaten their victims with “hacking alerts” and later defrauded them of crores of rupees, were arrested on Tuesday. The gang cheated people “by creating fear about data theft and hacking incidents”, police said.The accused, who would pose as technical support executives for their victims, were arrested from Sector 76 following technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs. Using screen-sharing applications, they gained remote access to victims’ systems and extracted sensitive banking information.Those arrested are Mohammad Bilal, 26, and Dev Kapahi, 25, both residents of Adarsh Nagar in Delhi; Abhishek Mukheja, 27, a resident of Bhiwadi in Rajasthan’s Alwar district; and Kushagra Nimbekar, 24, a resident of Rohini, Delhi.Police said the accused operated an organised cyber fraud network that targeted foreign citizens through online advertisements. All four accused are reportedly well educated and fluent in foreign accents, which helped them easily gain the trust of international victims.Four laptops, eight mobile phones, four microphone headsets and two routers allegedly used in carrying out the fraud were seized.DCP Shavya Goyal said that the accused ran paid advertisements on internet platforms and social media, displaying toll-free numbers under the guise of technical support services. When foreign nationals encountered these advertisements and called the listed numbers, their calls were routed through specialised calling software installed on the accused’s laptops.The fraudsters then impersonated technical support agents and falsely claimed that the victim’s computer or device had been hacked. To create panic and make their claims appear genuine, the accused deliberately blacked out the victim’s computer screen, convincing them that a cyberattack was underway.After accessing banking details, the accused assessed the victim’s financial status. Victims with smaller balances were typically coerced into paying amounts ranging from $350 to $2,000 as “security” or “repair” charges. In cases where victims had larger funds, the calls were transferred to senior members of the gang who continued the scam to extract higher payments.Police said the fraudulently obtained money was converted into cryptocurrency and later distributed among the accused to avoid detection. Examination of seized laptops and mobile phones already revealed transaction records indicating cyber fraud worth crores of rupees.Officials said that the arrests highlight the growing sophistication of cybercrime networks and the misuse of technology to target victims across international borders.
