CBI busts international tech-support fraud; arrests 4 from Punjab, Delhi  

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The CBI arrested four accused during raids at multiple locations in Punjab and Delhi and seized 15 laptops and digital devices from members of a gang targeting US nationals as part of an international tech-support fraud and extortion racket, an official said on Thursday.

The accused were identified as Sourabh Rana (kingpin), Indermohan Singh, ⁠Harneet Singh and ⁠Jappandeep Singh, the CBI said in a statement.

The CBI conducted raids on the intervening night of August 5 and 6 at 10 locations across Punjab and Delhi, including a fake call centre running from the premises of the main accused (kingpin) at Mohali, said the statement.

During the searches, incriminating material including more than 20 mobile phones, 15 laptops/ tablets, multiple hard disk/pen drives/ memory cards, huge amount of cash, incriminating documents and crypto wallets were seized, the CBI said.

The members of the syndicate posed online as representatives of tech companies, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies, the CBI said.

They deployed pop‑ups on computer screens showing counterfeit Microsoft toll‑free numbers that directly connected victims to fraudulent call centres run by the syndicate, it said.

The accused would then mislead the victims into transferring money under the guise of repairing their systems. They also falsely alleged that their targets were implicated in grave offences such as child pornography, thereby coercing them into making crypto-currency ransom payments through crypto-currency ATMs, the CBI said.

The defrauded crypto-currency proceeds were then routed through multiple crypto wallets for fund transfer out of US. These proceeds of crime were later laundered through operators based in Delhi, the CBI said.

One of their victims was a Florida (US) resident who was deceived in 2022 by the fraudsters by falsely warning that her personal and financial information was compromised and that illegal material had been planted on her computer, the CBI said.

Under pressure, she deposited $4,40,000 through multiple transactions into a Bitcoin ATM. The funds were routed to a specific wallet address and subsequently transferred to accounts controlled by the accused, the CBI said.

Another New Jersey (US) resident was targeted using the same modus operandi in 2023. She was misled into believing that her computer was compromised and her banking details were being accessed by unknown entities. She was forced to deposit $1,30,000 into Bitcoin ATMs, the CBI said.

–IANS

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