HYDERABAD: With heavy surveillance by police of all States and other enforcement agencies across the country on Jamtara in Jharkhand, the epicentre of cyberfrauds and series of crackdowns on the gangs, an exodus of fraudsters operating from there has begun. It is learnt that these gangs have chosen Suraj in Gujarat, which is over 1,700 km away from Jamtara, as their next hub for pulling off cyber frauds.
City police who have recently arrested a gang on a transit warrant after they were arrested by the Delhi Police were shocked to know that the gang actually belonged to Jamtara, but were operating from Surat. What has shocked police is that the gang members were using mobile numbers and other credentials used for committing frauds, issued to them at Jamtara.
These gangs have shifted several youngsters to Surat, arranged accommodation for them and are running a call centre kind of set-up, duping people. “They did not choose Kolkata, Delhi or any other place and chose only Surat, assuming that it is so far from Jamtara and it will be difficult for agencies to trace them,” an official said.
For over five years, people of Jamtara district, particularly the youths, have been looting money from people across the State using various modus operandi. Jamtara gangs were most famous for OTP frauds, looting huge amounts from gullible people, followed by frauds like credit and debit card frauds, KBC frauds, lottery frauds, among others.
With victims of these gangs spread all over the country, police of all states, particularly Telangana, focussed on them specially, resulting in the arrest of several gangs. The arrests and surveillance, have not deterred them from committing more cyber frauds. However, they instilled fear resulting in them shifting their base out of Jamtara, said an official.
Famous for OTP, KBC frauds
Jamtara gangs were most famous for OTP frauds, looting huge amounts from gullible people, followed by frauds in credit and debit cards, KBC and lottery frauds among others.