New Delhi, Feb 2 (UNI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched ‘Operation CyStrike’, a multinational crackdown conducted alongside law enforcement agencies from the USA (FBI), the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Ireland, and Singapore. The operation targets individuals and groups operating from India and other countries involved in transnational, cyber-enabled financial crime networks.
The operation was launched on January 31, resulting in the arrest of a key accused by the federal probe agency.
A senior CBI official stated that the agency conducted searches at 35 locations across New Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, and West Bengal.
These actions dismantled transnational cyber-enabled financial crime networks operated by the accused, who targeted victims from the USA, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Ireland, Singapore, and India online using pseudonymous identities to defraud them.
“During the search operations, the CBI busted and dismantled a transnational cyber-enabled financial crime network operated by the accused from New Delhi, which targeted US victims online. Electronic devices such as laptops, mobile phones, and computer hard disks containing incriminating digital evidence relating to the crime were recovered and seized from the accused,” said the official.
The official identified the key operative as Pfokrehrii Peter with active network in New Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Karnataka. This network used the domain name https://eservicemoi-Kw.com, posing as a service provider for Kuwaiti e-Visas and offering appointments for jobs at leading Kuwaiti companies to Indian nationals in exchange for money.
During the searches, the CBI seized electronic devices, laptops, mobile phones, and computer hard disks containing fake Kuwaiti e-Visas and fraudulent job appointment letters. A cash Rs 60 lakh was also recovered from one of the accused.
Additionally, the CBI has also claimed that they have dismantled another transnational cyber-crime network that targeted victims from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Singapore online, defrauding them. The “mule” accounts used to channel the proceeds of crime from foreign victims to the accused were identified and frozen.
Operation CyStrike, led by the CBI, works in close coordination with Interpol, is aimed to take action against organised, technology-enabled crime networks. The operation has resulted in the significant disruption and dismantling of major transnational cyber-enabled financial crime networks.
