NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has launched a 48-hour crackdown on cyber-related crimes, conducting raids across the city and in other states to dismantle syndicates driving the sharp rise in online frauds in the national capital and across the country, officials said.
According to a police officer, the operation has been named “CY-Hawk”. The coordinated drive began on Wednesday and will conclude on Friday. “It is being carried out to break the backbone of cyber-related crime,” the officer said.
Police officials said several raids have already been conducted, and multiple individuals have been detained for questioning. Appropriate legal action will follow based on evidence collected during the operation.
With increasing digital dependency, cybercrimes have risen sharply. Police said it is crucial to crack down on syndicates and individuals involved in such illegal activities, adding that several hotspots for cybercrime have been identified.
According to police, cyber offences span a wide range — including email frauds, social media crimes, mobile app-related frauds, digital arrest scams, business email compromise, data theft, ransomware, net banking or ATM frauds, lottery scams and online transaction fraud.
Explaining cheating scams, police said fraudsters typically email victims claiming they need assistance to transfer a large sum of money and offer a commission worth millions of dollars. Once the victim shows interest, scammers demand money to “cover transfer costs”. After receiving funds, they either disappear or continue demanding more, citing new “problems”.
Police advised people not to share money, credit card details, online account information or personal documents with unknown individuals.