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Catfisher Nabbed in Delhi: Cyber Crime Unveiled in Online Dating Case

cyber crime

A Delhi University student fell victim to a Cyber Crime when a supposed U.S.-based model. she met on a dating app conned her into sharing explicit content, which he later used for extortion. Delhi police have arrested the 23-year-old accused, revealing a shocking online scam operation. A college student from Delhi University was allegedly targeted by a cybercriminal posing as a U.S.-based freelancer model on an online dating platform. The Cyber Crime victim, who met the suspect on Bumble, was misled into sharing private photos and videos, which the accused threatened to leak unless paid, according to police reports. The scam came to light when the victim, pressured by continuous extortion threats, alerted her family and subsequently lodged a complaint with the PS Cyber Crime West police department. Authorities swiftly launched an investigation, identifying the perpetrator as Tushar Bisht, a 23-year-old resident of Delhi. During his arrest in Shakarpur, East Delhi, Bisht confessed to using a virtual international mobile number to contact multiple women on platforms like Bumble and Snapchat. Presenting himself with fake credentials and profiles, he extorted several victims by threatening to release their private content unless they paid him. Detailed interrogation revealed Bishtr’s connection with numerous victims, highlighting the severity of his deceit. Originally motivated by amusement, his actions escalated to a systematic extortion scheme. The police have emphasized the importance of online safety and awareness, particularly for young women engaging in digital communications. This arrest highlights the increasing threat of online scams and underscores the need for vigilance on digital platforms, as authorities continue to combat cybercrime efforts.

Rajasthan Police launch ‘Operation Cyber Shield’ to combat cyber crimes

Rajasthan Police

Rajasthan Police has launched Operation Cyber Shield to tackle cybercrime, focusing on resolving complaints, identifying hotspots, blocking suspicious SIMs, and raising public awareness. Jaipur: In a bid to curb the escalating graph of cyber crimes and organized financial fraud in Rajasthan Police , the Cyber Crime Branch of Rajasthan Police has initiated a month-long special campaign named ‘Operation Cyber Shield’. The campaign, spearheaded under the direction of Director General of Police (DGP) Utkal Ranjan Sahu, aims to crack down on cyber criminals, resolve pending cyber cases, and create public awareness about cyber security. The operation will run throughout January, a senior police official said. “The Rajasthan government and Rajasthan Police are committed to preventing cyber crimes,” said DG (Cyber Crime) Hemant Priyadarshi. “We appeal to citizens to report any suspicious cyber activities to the local police, the cyber security helpline 1930, or the cybercrime portal at National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal” he added. Citizens can also contact the police at 0141-2741322 to report incidents, the senior official added. Seven Strategies Focus Areas The campaign will tackle cybercrime through seven key focus areas: Resolving Cyber Complaints: All complaints reported through the cybercrime portal and helpline 1930 will be addressed. Blocking Suspicious SIMs and IMEIs: Identifying and deactivating suspicious SM cards and IMEI numbers linked to fraudulent activities. Targeting Crime Hotspots: Identifying areas prone to cybercrime and taking preventive action. Arresting Offenders: Pursuing wanted criminals, standing warrants, and proclaimed offenders in cyber-related cases. Recovering Mobile Devices: Focus on recovering and returning lost or stolen mobile handsets to their rightful owners. Public Awareness: Conducting widespread awareness campaigns to educate citizens about cyber crimes and preventive measures. Building a Cyber Criminal Database: Creating a comprehensive database of cyber criminals across Rajasthan for better tracking and prevention. “We have issued detailed guidelines to senior officers across all police ranges and districts through video conferencing to ensure the success of this campaign,” said Priyadarshi.

Bank official among four held for siphoning Rs 12 crore from Bengaluru firm’s accounts

cyber criminals

Investigations revealed the gang was transferring Rs 12.30 crore across multiple cyber criminals accounts, with similar cases filed against them in 12 police stations across eight states. Bapatla police have arrested two cyber criminals who transferred over Rs 74 lakh into fraudulent accounts, with two main suspects still at large. The arrests were announced by Bapatla District Superintendent of Police (SP) Tushar Dudi during a press conference on 02-01-2025. The victim, G Sri Lakshmi Vara Prasad Rao, a retired professor from Chundur, reported the cyber criminals after unknown individuals falsely accused him of money laundering and siphoned Rs 74 lakh from his bank account. Police promptly froze the accounts and launched an investigation. Amid rising cybercrime cases, SP Dudi formed special teams led by IT Core Sub-Inspector (SP) Naib Rasool and Chundur Circle Inspector (CI) Srikanth. The teams traced the suspects to Rajasthan and Mumbai, arresting Ramesh (A3) and Shrawan Kumar (A4), both from Rajasthan, while the primary accused, Akash Kulhari and Sriva Prasad, remain at large. Investigations revealed the gang was involved in transferring Rs 12.30 crore across multiple fraudulent accounts, with similar cases filed against them in 12 police stations across eight States, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Telangana, and Rajasthan. Ramesh and Shrawan are accused of transferring Rs 15 lakh and Rs 35 lakh, respectively, across several cases. Police seized Rs 7 lakh in cash, 24 ATM cards, and 11 checkbooks, and froze Rs 17.90 lakh in accounts linked to the suspects. The gang is believed to have defrauded victims of Rs 10 crore in 43 cases across 39 districts in 18 States, as recorded on the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) portal. The SP warned the public about such cyber scams, clarifying that ‘cyber criminals’ do not exist. He urged victims to immediately report cybercrimes by calling 1930. The SP commended the efforts of the IT core team, special squads, and police personnel in cracking the case, emphasizing ongoing efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects.

WhatsApp, the biggest social media platform misused by cyber criminals in India

cyber criminals

14,746 complaints file for cyber criminals were related to WhatsApp, 7,651 against Telegram, 7,152 against Instagram, 7,051 against Facebook, and 1,135 against YouTube till March 2024, says MHA report WhatsApp remains the biggest social media platform that is possibly misused by cyber criminals in India, according to the latest annual report of the Union Home Ministry. The data published in the report on “cybercrime complaints where Big Tech platforms have been misused” shows that 14,746 complaints were related to WhatsApp, 7,651 against Telegram, 7,152 against Instagram, 7,051 against Facebook, and 1,135 against YouTube till March 2024. “Big techs play an important role in proactive identification and action on cyber criminals. I4C has partnered with Google and Facebook for sharing intelligence and signals for proactive actions,” the report said. National Cybercrime Threat Analytical Unit (NCTAU) of I4C analyses the complaints reported on the portal and prepares analysis reports on the latest trends of cybercrime and misuse of services provided by service providers, it said. “These reports are shared with all the concerned stakeholders, i.e., banks, wallets, merchants, payments aggregators, payment gateways, e-commerce, and other departments to take preventive measures and mitigate the misuse of their platforms/services,” the report said. The Ministry has also rolled out a Cyber Volunteer Framework, which enables citizens to enroll as cyber volunteers for reporting unlawful content on the Internet, dissemination of cyber hygiene, and as cyber experts to aid law enforcement under which 54,833 volunteers had registered by March 31, 2024, according to the report. The Ministry’s integrated platform Citizen Financial Cyber cyber criminals Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), where all stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies of States/Union Territories, all major banks and financial intermediaries, payment wallets, crypto exchanges, and e-commerce companies, work in tandem. The platform ensures quick, decisive, and system-based effective action to prevent the flow of money from the victim’s account to the cyber fraudster’s account, and the seized money is restored to the victim following due legal process, it said. “Since its launch in April 2021, so far this platform has been able to save more than Rs 16 billion from going into the hands of fraudsters, and thus benefiting more than 5,75,000 victims,” it said.

Sri Lankan police social media accounts, government website hacked

social media

Colombo, Dec 31 (PTI) The social media accounts of the Sri Lankan police and the official website of the government’s Printer Department were targeted by cyberattacks, according to officials. “Our YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok and X were hit by cyber-attacks. By now, we have restored all of them other than YouTube,” said Police Spokesman and Superintendent K B Manathunga. He added that the hackers had been identified, and investigations were ongoing. In addition to the police social media accounts, the official website of the government’s Printer Department was also hacked. The group behind the attack has yet to be identified, according to the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a state agency. The CERT said the website where all government publications, including key announcements, are published was breached. “We can safely say that the website data had not been compromised, they have only added certain data,” Niroshan Ananda, a CERT spokesperson told reporters. PTI CORR GRS GRS GRS

Cyber Crime: Social Media Influencers, Celebrities to Raise Awareness in Bhopal

Social media

Expecting new challenges in 2025, Bhopal cyber cell is gearing up to counter them. Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal cyber cell will take help of social media influencers and celebrities of Madhya Pradesh to raise awareness against cyber-crimes. Expecting new challenges in 2025, Bhopal cyber cell is gearing up to counter them. Additional DCP (crime) Shailendra Singh Chauhan said with cyber criminals posing new challenges every day, a series of steps had been planned to equip cyber cell, tech cell, zonal tech cell and cyber help desks with better training and skills. They will be trained by top cyber security experts. Moreover, they will be trained for data extraction from electronic devices, their seizures and forensic examination. On anvil Social media monitoring cell to be formed for ensuring safe environment on social media platforms. Sanitisation programme against mule bank accounts, ATMs and fake SIM cards with help of Cyber Crime Coordination Portal. Forming banking desk in co-ordination with banks for immediate reporting of high value cyber frauds and holding lost amount. Constituting an inter-state coordination control room for taking and providing help in investigations of cyber crimes with cops of other states.