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CBI dismantles transnational cybercrime network targeting US nationals, three arrested

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New Delhi, Aug 25: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under its ongoing Operation Chakra-IV, has dismantled a sophisticated cybercrime network that defrauded US nationals of nearly $40 million and arrested three key accused, an agency statement said.

The action was carried out in close coordination with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The arrested have been identified as Jigar Ahmed, Yash Khurana, and Inder Jeet Singh Bali.

According to the CBI, between 2023 and 2025, the accused gained unauthorised remote access to victims’ systems and bank accounts by posing as tech support providers.

They convinced US-based victims that their accounts were compromised and manipulated them into transferring money to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by the gang, the statement said.

The CBI registered the case on August 18 and launched extensive searches across Amritsar and Delhi. A major breakthrough came when investigators raided an illegal call centre — Digikaps The Future of Digital — being run at Global Tower, opposite Khalsa College for Women, Amritsar. At the site, 34 people were caught red-handed while engaged in cyber fraud activities.

The searches led to the seizure of 85 hard disks, 16 laptops, 44 mobile phones, incriminating digital evidence, and Rs 54 lakh in cash. Documents and additional electronic devices linked to the fraud were also recovered.

CBI investigations revealed that the accused had been funnelling proceeds of crime through cryptocurrency transactions.

Further operations are underway to trace the money trail and identify other members of the transnational cyber-enabled financial crime network, the agency said.

The probe is also pursuing international leads in coordination with Interpol and other foreign law enforcement agencies, the statement added.

The CBI noted that Operation Chakra-IV has significantly disrupted and dismantled this organised cybercrime syndicate.

Investigation into the broader network and on international leads is ongoing.

Crime

Durgapur gang-rape case: Police find discrepancies in statements of accused

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Kolkata, Oct 21: Even after six days of interrogation, the police duirng their investigation have found discrepancies in the statements of the Durgapur gang-rape victim’s male friend and five arrested youths from the local village.

The police are trying to find some missing links in this gang-rape case, said officials.

Police investigation revealed that the medical student was in a relationship with her classmate cum male friend. They had gone out on that fateful night outside the campus of the private medical college and hospital in Durgapur.

First it was said that they had gone out to buy dinner. However, investigation revealed that they were found in a compromising position in a forested area outside the campus by three of the five arrested accused youths.

As the accused demanded money from the two, the male friend was allowed to leave the area to get money. It is at that time that one of the accused raped the medical student while two others watched. Later, two more youths turned up at the scene of crime. The mobile phone of the medical student was snatched. The male friend arrived with money and the two of them were let go, said police sources.

According to investigators, from the first day, the medical student’s male friend Wasif Ali misguided the police. As a result, the police were confused during the course of investigation. The investigators are comparing the statements of the victim, the male friend and five youths from the village. However, there are still several discrepancies in their statements.

All the arrested will be produced in a court on Wednesday as their police custody ends. The police said they will seek an extension of their custody for further interrogation and investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, the medical student was discharged from the hospital last Friday. However, she is not staying in the college hostel, but in a rented house in Durgapur under police surveillance. The student is accompanied by her mother. Policemen have also been posted outside the house for her security.

On October 10, the second-year medical student from Odisha was allegedly gang-raped by five persons in a forested area outside a private medical college and hospital in West Burdwan district’s Durgapur. Based on the complaint lodged by the victim, the police earlier arrested all the five accused persons in the case. The police said that only one person was involved in physical sexual assault to the medical student.

Later, the police arrested the male friend of the victim. The male friend was arrested after investigators found inconsistencies in his response during interrogation. He is also presently in police custody.

The victim’s father, meanwhile, demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident to punish the culprits quickly.

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Crime

Mumbai: Man Beaten To Death In Goregaon After Being Mistaken For Thief; 4 Arrested

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Mumbai: A 26-year-old man, identified as Harshal Parma, was brutally beaten to death by a group of people in Mumbai’s Goregaon area after they allegedly mistook him for a thief. The shocking incident occurred late on Monday night.

According to police officials, Parma’s hands and legs were tied before he was subjected to a severe beating. He sustained critical injuries during the assault and later succumbed to his wounds. Preliminary investigations suggest that the mob suspected him of attempting theft, though no conclusive evidence has been found to support this claim.

The Goregaon police acted swiftly and registered a case in connection with the assault. Four suspects have been arrested in the case, identified as Salman Mohammad Khan, Isamullah Khan, Gautam and Rajiv Gupta.

The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of murder and unlawful assembly. Police officials stated that further investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the Borivali Railway Police arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly molesting a woman at Borivali railway station in the early hours of October 19. The woman, whose mother had recently passed away in Nagpur, was waiting at platform number three around 1.30 am when the accused, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, approached and touched her inappropriately.

The woman immediately reported the incident to the railway police, who apprehended the accused soon after. A case has been registered under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty.

The accused, who works as a video editor for a production house, was produced in court and has been remanded to judicial custody. He is currently lodged in Thane jail. The police have withheld his identity as the investigation continues.

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Crime

Mumbai Crime: Case Registered Against Six Fishing Boat Operators For Illegally Entering ONGC’s Restricted Offshore Zone

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The Yellow Gate Police have registered a case against six unidentified fishing boat operators for illegally entering the restricted security zone surrounding Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) offshore platforms in the Arabian Sea between September 11 and October 11.

According to the complaint filed by Mubeen Aziz Ahmed (49), Chief Manager (Security) at ONGC, Maker Tower, Colaba, the accused repeatedly violated security regulations by entering the 500-metre prohibited area near several ONGC offshore installations without authorization.

Ahmed, who has been serving with ONGC since 2009, also coordinates with the Indian Navy’s Offshore Defence Advisory Group (ODAG) for marine security. In his statement, he noted that only naval, coast guard, and marine police vessels are permitted within the restricted radius — a rule mandated under a Ministry of External Affairs notification dated June 12, 2025.

Despite prior written warnings issued to the fisheries department on August 22, 2025, asking them to alert fishermen about the restricted zones, several boats were reportedly caught fishing near ONGC installations.

The Indian Navy’s ODAG informed ONGC via email that during routine patrols, they found the following vessels operating illegally inside the restricted zones: Ganga Maiya 5, Kalavati Shakti, Devyani, MFB Shree Mathu Mariamma, Shri Brahmhanmurti Chhaya, and Mahalaxmi Mauli.

These boats were reportedly sighted near ONGC’s offshore platforms, including MHN, B-193-A, Heera, and Bassein, operating dangerously close or even tying up to the structures.

Based on these repeated violations, the Yellow Gate Police registered an FIR under Section 223(b) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 120 of the Maharashtra Police Act, against six unidentified persons.

The complaint emphasized that unauthorized entry into ONGC’s restricted offshore zones poses a serious threat to national security and the safety of vital energy infrastructure.

Police have begun further investigations to identify the fishermen and their boats involved in the violations.

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