Only last year, Bhajan Lal Sharma, the chief minister of Rajasthan, had his home district of Bharatpur divided into this brand-new district. However, Deeg has already surpassed previous hotspots like Deoghar and Jamtara in Jharkhand; Nawada and Nalanda in Bihar; Nuh in Haryana; and Alwar next door in Rajasthan to become known as the cybercrime capital of India. According to data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), this Mewat area outpost accounted for 19% of all fraud crimes that were recorded in February 2024. Every day, the anti-cybercrime units from several states were mapping about 225 places in the district, which for four months in a row held the top spot for the greatest amount of cybercrime calls coming from India.
The crimes range from standard phishing schemes that use phony ATM cards, mobile numbers, or caller IDs; online scams that promise financial rewards; sextortion; and clever schemes that offer, among other things, illegal arms and housing on rent or, most shocking of all, money in exchange for a promise to “impregnate young women.”
CM Sharma, embarrassed by the abundance of riches gained through cybercrime, assigned Rahul Prakash, Inspector General of Police, Bharatpur Range, to put an end to this growing criminal network. Thus, on February 29, Operation Anti-Virus was initiated, with a primary focus on Deeg. “The CM called me thrice, saying he gets complaints of cyber fraud emanating from Deeg whenever he goes to other states. He asked us to curtail it on priority,” says Prakash.
After six months, the district has seen somewhat of a turnaround thanks to preventive measures, meticulous tracking, and a relentless pursuit of offenders. During a webinar on July 19, I4C showed that Deeg’s reported fraudulent call share dropped from a high of 6,530 in February to 2,546 by June’s conclusion. By the end of August, they had dropped even lower to 1,501. Operation Anti Virus saw 189 FIRs against suspected cybercriminals in Deeg filed between March and July, 743 arrests, and the recovery of Rs 49.48 lakh in cash. Seven properties on government land that were purportedly constructed using illicit funds were dismantled. The police banned 17,935 IMEI numbers—a device’s unique 15-digit identification—and barred 21,070 SIM cards that were used to perpetrate fraud. IG Prakash, who is proud of their accomplishments thus far, believes it could be worthwhile to emulate the Deeg model.
Deeg’s descent into cybercrime
Deeg epitomized the broader Mewat region, which borders Haryana and is close to Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The region has a history of minor crimes and highway robberies. Next began the trafficking of stolen cars and illegal alcohol. Additionally, some Deeg criminals quickly learned how to carry out scams involving relationships, jobs, and “OLX” crimes—in which they would copy documents uploaded online for the sale of, say, vehicles and use these to sell the vehicles as their own—after they realized how low-risk and high-return online crime could be. They also mastered the skill of using “mule accounts,” which are bank accounts intended to conceal money obtained via illegal activities, and ATM card switching, in which the account holder is either tricked into allowing criminals to use their account or is a willing participant. The move to internet sextortion schemes was also seamless since traditional sex work in the Deeg region has expanded to include modern woman trafficking. The level of sophistication and daring operations have increased, as evidenced by recent arrests.
Early in August, Prakash learned about a threat made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a tip from the Intelligence Bureau. Two people, Rahul and Sakir Meo, whose mobile locations were near Deeg, were in contact with a suspect who had threatened to kill the prime minister on Instagram. After being apprehended, the pair admitted to something completely different: using social media to deceive prospective purchasers by pretending to be arms dealers. Using 14 weapons built in the nation and 24 cartridges that they had posted for sale on social media with the intention of committing fraud, police in Pahadi, Deeg, arrested four young people and a minor on August 23.
Meanwhile, Rahul, Raju, and Khalid’s detention revealed another type of swindle. The three belonged to a group that promised to conceive “an unfortunate childless woman” for the sum of Rs 25 lakh as a “reward.” At least twenty credulous males fell for the scam and sent in deposits of Rs 25,000 apiece for “registration fees.” Fraudsters used photographs of a woman on social media to entice the men, and they even demanded thousands of rupees as “advance GST” in exchange for a “minimum reward” of a few lakh rupees, which they claimed they had given through phony conversations.
Police discovered a gang that specialized in enticing victims with ads for apartments for rent in metro areas after Saad and five other people were arrested. Nineteen cell phones and seven SIM cards that were linked to bank accounts where illicit funds were moved and activated using phishing or stolen identities were retrieved from them. It was discovered that the entire gang had engaged in 5,447 cases totaling Rs 20.31 crore in fraud. 5,620 complaints were made against the phone numbers linked to this gang, leading to 197 Federal Investigation Reports being filed with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.
Meena, a 40-year-old inhabitant of Assam’s Barpeta region, was arrested, demonstrating the extent to which the internet has extended. She started obtaining phony or forged SIM cards from Assam after becoming friends with and marrying Ali Mohammad, also known as Jhabbu, of Gaondi village in Deeg a few years before. After evading the law for three years, she was apprehended in May and reportedly admitted to selling 10,000 SIM cards for between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 apiece, making almost Rs 1 crore. The majority of the sales were to criminals who enabled cybercrime.
One of the most concerning things the police discovered was that teenagers were taking over the operation while the more seasoned personnel were drawn into the net. Additionally, since juveniles are subject to the Juvenile Act’s lenient penalties, scammers can easily take advantage of them. A 13-year-old boy from Deeg was apprehended by the police on August 7. The youngster had been using threats to make a sex video and conversation public to blackmail Suresh Chaurasia, a school teacher in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. The elderly man was so intimidated that he committed suicide in June. The child then pretended to be a cybercrime official and demanded money from the family until the police caught up with him and put an end to his illicit activities. The police have also taken into custody 15 additional youngsters; several of them are skilled at internet fraud.
Additionally, Prakash and his team discovered proof of intimate ties between the cybercriminals operating out of Jamtara, Deeg, and other regions of Mewat. In reality, there was a kind of exchange program where fraudsters would go to other centers and get “trained.” Thus, after learning from Meena for six months how to obtain counterfeit SIM cards, Arif, also known as Bablu, 32, of Tughlaqabad, Delhi, learned from Asif, also known as Kallu, how to deal with stolen mobile phones. After receiving some instructions in Jamtara, Arif formed his gang and has sold about 10,000 cell phones that were stolen.
Piecing together the puzzle
Operation Anti-Virus has been carried out methodically, which is what has led to these arrests. Through the use of cyberfraud allegations that started in Deeg and were reported all throughout India, Prakash and his colleagues have produced a phone book listing suspects at the police station level. In a war room, a specialized cybertechnical team follows these phones and the suspects’ other digital traces. Suspects are identified based on their areas of expertise, and this list is updated frequently. Examples of suspects include those who supply forged or fake SIM cards, bank accounts, ATM cards, and mule accounts; those who engage in extortion; frequent online fraudsters; installers and operators of ATMs who collaborate with cybercriminals; and those who pose as law enforcement or other officials in order to intimidate people. Via the Pratibimb site at the Center, the team also examines the current locations of cellphones that are allegedly used by criminals on a daily basis. They finally zero in on the precise sites to raid by comparing them with the previous addresses/locations in the station-wise directory. Usually, when the authorities conduct a raid at the location of the fraudulent calls, they grab cell phones, check them for strange transactions, fraud calls, and damning chats, and examine the area and people for counterfeit SIM cards, falsified paperwork, and altered IMEIs. For these offenses, suspects are being held, and fraud and child pornography FIRs have been filed.
The investigation team examines materials such as stolen cell phones, phony SIM cards, phony bank accounts, and payment screenshots after seizing suspicious or unlawful items. The police identify the suspects of other criminals by a thorough examination of the IMEI and SIM. Superintendents of police are requested to document victim testimony in order to construct strong cases in locations where complaints made via helpline 1930 have not resulted in the filing of formal police reports. The group led by Prakash has turned online fraud into a very expensive crime. Not only does jail time serve as a deterrent, but it also includes the confiscation or demolition of properties constructed on government land using money obtained by fraud; however, recent restrictions by the Supreme Court may put a stop to this. On June 11, Saad ordered the demolition of four stores, and on June 11, Prakash gave the order to demolish a 2,000 square foot home in Raipur Suketi that was allegedly constructed with Rs 70 lakh by mobster Dawood, who has been missing since 2021. This was where his twelve-man crew operated and dispersed their pelf.
The unfinished agenda
Legal gaps pose a significant obstacle for law enforcement when it comes to enforcing strong penalties against cybercriminals operating out of Deeg. Since the majority of fraudsters target victims in other states, authorities from those states typically don’t pursue them; also, it can be challenging to locate suspects quickly in a distant location. On top of that, a large number of complaints filed in 1930 remain unresolved.
However, the issue of bail is one of the major obstacles. Since cybercrimes are reported under fraud, which has a less severe penalty, bail is frequently granted to them. And recidivism is high because bail is so easily acquired. Officers from law enforcement coordinate with courts to address the issue, stressing the gravity and scope of cybercrime. Thorough police reports that include information about the 1930 complaint, the confiscation of evidence, evidence from the phone, the impact on the country, the minors involved, and the creation of a criminal environment in the area are all contributing factors to the refusal to quickly release offenders on bond. Prakash is certain that the combination of extended incarceration, focused property destruction, and asset seizure has negatively impacted the morale of offenders and served as an effective deterrent. Unfortunately, even if one Deeg is devoid of cybercriminals, several more might still establish themselves.
Also read: Unveiling the Ethical Imperatives: Navigating the Intersection of AI and Cybersecurity
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