New Delhi, Nov 22 (Agency) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday claimed to have busted a major module of cyber-enabled crimes allegedly coercing foreign nationals for payments. As part of the operation, CBI conducted searches in an ongoing investigation of a case at around 24 locations across multiple states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat which led to the recovery of cash of Rs 2.2 crore; foreign currency; cryptocurrency accounts; property papers and other incriminating evidence, CBI said in a statement.
A case was registered on July 7, 2022, on the allegations that multiple call centers in India utilized the services of Gujarat-based VOIP company to orchestrate millions of fraudulent calls targeting citizens of the USA. It was alleged that perpetrators behind these cyber-enabled crimes impersonated entities through VOIP calls, it said. The initial phase of investigations under CBI’s Operation “Chakra” in October last year led to searches, conducted earlier at 11 such call centers/entities, it said. Earlier, a chargesheet was filed by CBI against another accused. Further investigations unveiled the involvement of a private person, a private company, and their associates in perpetrating large-scale fraud against foreign nationals facilitated by services of Gujarat-based private company, the probe agency claimed.