Guwahati New Jamtara? Police Receives 600 Cyber Fraud Complaints in One Year: Police Commissioner Diganta Barah

Till recently we were all talking about Jamtara in Jharkhand as India’s cybercrime hotspot as a gang of cyber criminals were pocketing upto Rs 1.5 lakh everyday through credit card frauds. But Guwahati might soon replace Jamtara as the nerve centre of online crime.

Sharing startling details of cyber crime cases in Guwahati, Guwahati Commissioner of Police, Diganta Barah said that the police receives complaints everyday. They received over 600 cyber crime complaints last year.

“We have received over 600 complaints during the last year and maybe there are victims who have not approached the police so far. Maybe there are more such cyber-related incidents. More than Rs 35 crore are involved in these over 600 complaints. Police receive such cases every day. The number of cases are increasing and we are also training our personnel to deal with such complaints”, CP Barah said.

Police Commissioner Barah explained how these criminals work:
“It’s basically through mule accounts. Normally cyber criminals require bank accounts to generate money after duping a particular individual. If they use normal accounts of a particular individual those details will finally be detected by the investigation agency. So they don’t use their own accounts.
Earlier, they (cyber criminals) used to open new accounts in the name of fake persons. Now banks have become careful. So they now use accounts of genuine people who do not suspect their account is being used by cyber criminals.

A cyber gang employ some agents to convince a suspect, mainly illiterate people belonging to lower economic strata. They promise some monetary component to them and convince them to open bank accounts in their own name by providing an Aadhaar card and PAN Card.

These agents of cybercriminals give their phone numbers as the registered mobile numbers instead of the phone number of the people whose Aadhaar card and PAN Card have been given. Once the bank account is opened they collect the account kit and activate the accounts in mobile app and pass it on to the cyber criminals. They use those accounts which are in named of genuine people, but those individuals are not at all aware of what is happening with your account.”

What is a Mule Account?
A mule account is a bank account that is used to receive and transfer funds for illegal activities, such as money laundering and fraudulent transactions.

How Does A Mule Account Work?

• A mule account is opened using a person’s real information or a synthetic identity (fake identity created by combining real and fake information)

• The account receives funds from illegal activities

• The mule receives instructions on how to move the funds

• The mule transfers the funds to another account or withdraws them as cash to be deposited elsewhere

Mule accounts are often used in the first phase of money laundering, called placement, which is when illicit funds are integrated into the financial system.

How to Stay Safe:
• You should not accept lucrative job offers or rewards or investment schemes which promise fast returns or extraordinarily high interests on the money invested
• Do not share your bank account details, internet banking username or password, ATM Card, bank account number, types of accounts maintained with the bank, PIN Number to anyone
• Scammers will often force you into making swift decisions, such as hurriedly confirming your identity or claiming a reward.
• If you get calls mentioning gift cards or virtual currency, you should get cautious
• Be careful while answering calls from unknown numbers. Usually calls come saying your child is in danger and needs money immediately. Stay alert when taking phone calls
• Do not click on links sent from unknown numbers or mail ids which promise rewards and gifts
• Scammers usually target old, vulnerable and unsuspecting people. You should Report scam/ fraud to the bank and law enforcement agency immediately if they think they might already be part of a mule account scam.
Where to File a Cyber Fraud Complain:

• Log in to https://cybercrime.gov.in/ to file your complaint or call your nearest Police Station or the Police helpline number

Some of the Big Online Frauds Busted by Assam Police:
In June 2024, Police arrested two in Karimganj for selling fake cryptocurrencies through the BitForex app, recovered Rs 50 lakh in cash.

In May 2024, 14 cybercriminals were apprehended in Morigaon and Guwahati. Police seized 362 SIM cards, 11 PAN cards, 50 bank passbooks, 25 ATM cards, three laptops, and 34 mobile phones.
In September 2023, the Crime Branch of Assam Police busted a large racket of online scammers from 8 locations in and around Guwahati, arrested 191 online scammers, including 47 girls. Recovered 164 desktop computers, 90 laptops, 26 mobile phones, and various electronic gadgets. The arrested persons were aged between 21 and 25 years.

Four masterminds – Debajyoti Dey alias David (aged 30-31 years) was operating from Karimganj, Rajen Sidana (owner of two call centres) was operating from Ludhiana, Dibyam Arora (aged 31) was operating from Delhi and Tasdiqur Rahma was operating from Guwahati and Noida. They duped people in India and the US.

What does the Law Say:
Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 prescribes imprisonment of upto 3 years and a fibne of Rs 5 lakh or both for phising or any dishonest cyber activity.
Additionally, there are several sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) where punishment can go up to seven years in prison for cyber fraud.

Also Read: 22-Year-Old Bishal Phukan Dupes People in Multi-Crore Stock Market Scam, Arrested