NEW DELHI: As part of its ongoing Operation Chakra-IV, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has dismantled a sophisticated cybercrime network that defrauded US nationals of nearly $40 million (approximately Rs 330 crore), officials said on Monday. Three key accused have been arrested.
The operation was conducted in close coordination with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Those arrested include Jigar Ahmed, Yash Khurana, and Inder Jeet Singh Bali.
According to officials, between 2023 and 2025, the accused gained unauthorised remote access to victims’ systems and bank accounts by posing as technical support providers. By convincing US-based victims that their accounts had been compromised, they manipulated them into transferring funds to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by the syndicate.
The CBI registered the case on 18 August and launched extensive searches across Amritsar and Delhi.
“A major breakthrough came when investigators raided an illegal call centre, Digikaps: The Future of Digital, operating out of Global Tower, opposite Khalsa College for Women, Amritsar. At the site, 34 individuals were caught red-handed while engaged in cyber fraud activities,” a senior CBI official said.
The searches led to the seizure of 85 hard drives, 16 laptops, 44 mobile phones, incriminating digital evidence, and Rs 54 lakh in cash. Documents and other electronic devices linked to the fraud were also recovered.
Further operations are ongoing to trace the money trail and identify additional members of the transnational, cyber-enabled financial crime network. The investigation is also pursuing international leads in coordination with Interpol and other foreign law enforcement agencies.
In a related case, the CBI also arrested Arjun Prakash, the alleged kingpin of another international cyber fraud syndicate that was busted earlier this year.
Prakash, who had been absconding since May 2025, was intercepted at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), New Delhi, with the assistance of Immigration officials while attempting to board a flight to Kathmandu. He was immediately taken into custody, the CBI confirmed in a statement.
The CBI had registered an FIR in May following intelligence inputs, working in close collaboration with the FBI (USA), the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and Microsoft Corporation.