CBI and FBI Team Up to Arrest 43 in Global Cyber Crime Operation CHAKRA-III
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in collaboration with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies, has arrested 43 individuals as part of Operation CHAKRA-III. This operation aims to dismantle a cyber-enabled financial crime network operating since 2022.
Details of the Operation
The International Operations Division of CBI registered a case on July 22, 2024, for offences of cheating and online fraud. Searches were conducted at seven locations across Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida. It was revealed that transnational cyber-enabled financial crimes in this network were being coordinated across distributed centres mainly directed from a call center operating from DLF Cyber City, Gurugram.
Evidence Recovered
During these searches, live cyber-criminal operations were intercepted and substantial incriminating evidence has been gathered. Investigation teams have so far recovered:
- 130 computer hard disks
- 65 mobile phones
- 5 laptops
- Incriminating documents
- Financial transaction details
- Call recordings
- Victim details
- Transcripts used for targeting victims
Victims were contacted by impersonation and induced to click on pop-ups for downloading malicious software onto their systems and subsequently induced to make payments for the restoration of their system. It is revealed that proceeds of crime were channelized from multiple countries to Hong Kong. Further investigation is ongoing.
Doubts Revealed
CBI -: CBI stands for Central Bureau of Investigation. It is India’s main agency for investigating serious crimes like corruption and fraud.
FBI -: FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is the main agency in the United States for investigating serious crimes.
Cyber Crime -: Cyber crime means crimes that are done using computers or the internet, like hacking or stealing money online.
Operation CHAKRA-III -: Operation CHAKRA-III is a special mission by police agencies to catch people involved in cyber crimes. ‘CHAKRA’ means ‘wheel’ in Hindi, and ‘III’ means it’s the third time they are doing this operation.
Delhi -: Delhi is the capital city of India. It is a big city where many important government offices are located.
Gurgaon -: Gurgaon, also known as Gurugram, is a city near Delhi. It is known for its modern buildings and many offices.
Noida -: Noida is a city near Delhi. It is known for its technology companies and modern infrastructure.
Call Center -: A call center is a place where people make or receive a lot of phone calls, often for customer service or sales.
Hong Kong -: Hong Kong is a city and special administrative region of China. It is known for its skyscrapers and busy financial markets.