In a major cybercrime bust, the Hyderabad City Cyber Crimes Unit arrested 18 individuals involved in a wide range of fraudulent activities across India, including 319 cases of cyber fraud. This operation, which was led by Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand, saw the arrest of suspects from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and other states, with a total of Rs6.94 crore defrauded from victims.
The arrested criminals were linked to various types of fraud, such as investment scams, digital fraud, sextortion, OTP fraud, and insurance fraud. Among those taken into custody, three individuals were identified as masterminds behind several of these schemes.
The operation led to the detection of 10 significant fraud cases in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Notable arrests included Nikesh Bhati, an accountant, Sanjay Biman Das, an accountant supplier, and Amir Kashinath Jadav, an impersonator, all hailing from Mumbai. Police also tracked down suspects from Ajmer, Karnataka, and other locations.
The authorities have managed to freeze Rs1.61 crore from the bank accounts of the fraudsters. The police also seized over Rs5 lakh in cash, 26 mobile phones, 16 ATM cards, 7 passbooks, 11 cheque books, and 10 SIM cards, all of which were used in fraudulent activities.
The operation was carried out with the guidance of DCP Cyber Crimes Dara Kavitha, and the efforts of the Cybercrime Police Station team, including Inspectors Mattam Raju, P. Pramod Kumar, M. Seetharamulu, K. Prasada Rao, and S. Naresh. ACPs Siva Maruthi and Sri Chand Basha also played pivotal roles in overseeing the investigation.
The police are urging the public to report any suspicious activities to the toll-free number 1930, as they continue to dismantle cyber fraud networks across the region.
