Hyderabad Police launch massive crackdown on cybercrime syndicates; 104 held across 16 states

The individuals linked to 1,055 cyber fraud cases registered across the country, involving a total fraud amount of approximately Rs 127 crore, were apprehended under Operation Octopus, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said in a release.

The police on Tuesday said it has dismantled a pan-India cyber fraud syndicate in a major crackdown by arresting 104 people from 16 states. The individuals linked to 1,055 cyber fraud cases registered across the country, involving a total fraud amount of approximately Rs 127 crore, were apprehended under 'Operation Octopus', Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said in a release. The arrested are 86 mule account holders, 17 account suppliers/aggregators, who are key middlemen responsible for procuring such accounts and facilitating the movement of funds to the masterminds, besides one Relationship Manager of a private bank, who colluded with fraudsters to facilitate the opening and operation of fraudulent accounts, police said. In recent times, there has been a surge in cases of victims falling prey to investment scams, trading frauds, and ''Digital Arrest'' scams, resulting in the loss of their hard-earned money. Recognising the gravity of the situation, 'Operation Octopus' was designed to deliver a decisive blow to these illegal networks, they said. Following an intensive investigation into the rise of such frauds, the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS), Hyderabad, identified a nexus of 151 bank accounts used to siphon off victims' funds, police said. To dismantle the network, 32 special teams comprising seasoned investigators were constituted, and the operation was executed simultaneously across 16 states in a span of 10 days, Sajjanar said. These teams were simultaneously deployed to hotspots of cybercrime located in Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Odisha. ''104 individuals who played pivotal roles in the execution of the fraud were apprehended,'' the Commissioner said. Police seized 204 mobile phones, 141 SIM cards, 152 Bank Passbooks, 234 Debit/Credit Cards, 26 laptops, 56 Corporate/Firm Stamps besides Rs 36 lakhs in cash. 'Operation Octopus' is an ongoing initiative, and the investigation is progressing to dismantle the higher echelons of these syndicates. A clear and unequivocal message is being sent: anyone found complicit in such crimes-regardless of stature, influence, or role-will not be spared, police said. Any individual supporting cybercriminals, including bank officials, mule account holders, will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law, police added.

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