Several cybercrime gangs operating in WB busted, 46 held in past 15 days

Police said there was a sudden spike in cybercrime cases in some districts in the western part of the state and along the Jharkhand border over the past month

Kolkata: At least 46 suspected cyber criminals have been arrested in the past 15 days, the West Bengal police’s cybercrime wing said on Friday.

More than 250 complaints were lodged in the cyber crime police stations across Birbhum, West Burdwan, Hooghly and East Burdwan (Johannes - stock.adobe.com)

“Over the past 15 days we have arrested 46 cyber criminals, who have been operating in small gangs, from various districts in West Bengal bordering Jharkhand. Investigation is still going on and more arrests are likely to be made over the next few days,” Supratim Sarkar, additional director general of police (ADG) in south Bengal, West Bengal police, said.

Police said there was a sudden spike in cybercrime cases in some districts in the western part of the state and along the Jharkhand border over the past month.

More than 250 complaints, including phishing attacks, digital arrests, fake job scams, fake investment schemes and sextortion, were lodged in the cyber crime police stations across Birbhum, West Burdwan, Hooghly and East Burdwan, said an officer.

He added that as Jamtara town in Jharkhand had come under the scrutiny of investigating agencies, gangs were shifting their bases to other states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and West Bengal.

“The gang members would come to the districts bordering Jharkhand, rent houses, and operate from hideouts before returning to Jamtara after a week or ten days. That’s why they chose districts in West Bengal that were close to Jamtara and the Jharkhand border,” said Sarkar, adding the duration of their stay depended on the nature of the fraud. “If it was a phishing attack, it took more days, while those involving sharing OTPs took less time.”

The state police had set up a specialised team for the operation, Cybershakti, headed by Amitkumar B Rathod, deputy inspector general of police (DIG) of the cybercrime wing.

The first breakthrough came around 15 days back when three suspected cyber fraud gang members were arrested from Khayrasole in Birbhum district, which is close to Bengal -Jharkhand border and around 60 km east of Jamtara, said the officer.

“We recovered 84 mobile phones and an equal number of SIM cards, two laptops, more than 100 debit and credit cards and several other technical gadgets. More than 100 mule bank accounts have been detected,” said Rathod.

Police said that the gangs have duped several people, and the amount involved is worth several crore rupees. Efforts are underway to freeze the mule accounts and recover the money so it can be returned to the victims.