New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a cyber criminal from Mumbai who had defrauded a US citizen of USD 4.5 lakh by posing as a technical assistant, officials said on Saturday.
Officials said that ‘Operation Chakra-3’ is being conducted against cyber criminals in coordination with the US investigative agency ‘Federal Bureau of Investigation’ (FBI) and under this, the CBI busted a complex virtual asset and gold-silver based cybercrime network, which was targeting people in other countries since 2022.
According to officials, during searches conducted at seven locations over the last two days, the CBI seized 57 gold biscuits of 100 gm each, Rs 16 lakh in cash, mobile phones, a laptop used for managing crypto currency, locker details and other incriminating material from the premises of Vishnu Rathi, an alleged cyber criminal operating from Mumbai.
Officials said the agency has found material indicating that this international cyber crime network was converting the proceeds of crime into virtual assets and gold and silver.
According to officials, the CBI had registered a case against Rathi and others on September 9. The agency had alleged that the accused conspired to target a US citizen by gaining unauthorised access to the victim’s computer and bank account between June and August 2022.
“It is also alleged that on the pretext of offering technical support services, the accused falsely informed the victim, who lives in the US, that her bank account had been compromised. Claiming that the funds in the account were at risk, they allegedly got the victim to transfer US $ 4,53,953 to their cryptocurrency wallet,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said that the CBI is coordinating with the FBI and law enforcement agencies of several countries through Interpol to act on the leads. He said, “The CBI has launched ‘Operation Chakra-3’. Its aim is to combat and dismantle organized financial cyber crime networks as part of a globally coordinated law enforcement response, leveraging the liaison with Interpol.”