HYDERABAD: The banks and financial companies that were served notices by Cyberabad police in connection with a data theft case have been asked to identify the offenders and find how the data from their firms was breach. Rather than solely pursuing the accused, authorities are focusing on locating the root of the issue to avoid losing the main culprit in the process of apprehension.
A senior official who is part of the investigation team said, “Notices served to banks and other companies are being reviewed, and officials are conducting inquiries to identify responsible persons within the company, third-party affiliates, or any other possible sources of the data leak.”
As many as 36 companies have been issued the notices, out of which representatives of 14 companies appeared before the cops. Fifteen companies have sought more time. Officials say that glaring lapses and negligence was found on part of some of the organisation and further relevant notices are being issued to them.
In this data theft case, seven offenders were initially apprehended, followed by a call centre owner from Haryana. One of the main offenders has been identified and is an Indian national presently located in another country. These individuals stole information from various companies and platforms, which was subsequently published on the Dark Web. This theft posed a significant threat to individuals whose data was stolen.
The senior officer stated, “During the investigation, it was found that the information stolen by the seven offenders and Vinay Bharadwaj, the call centre owner, overlapped. Vinay stole data from 66.9 crore individuals, whereas the initial data breach involved 16 crore individuals,” he said.
When asked about the impact of this data breach on individuals across the country, the officer stated that this breach could boost the confidence of fraudsters and bring them closer to their targets. For example, with access to bank account details, account numbers, phone numbers, and dates of birth, fraudsters can call customers, disclose their own information, and convince victims to fall into their trap. Once trapped, the loss incurred by the victim could range from thousands to crores, and this information could also lead to other forms of crime with no end in sight.
TNIE also inquired about how individuals could avoid falling prey to data breaches or any other cybercrime. The officer replied that people should be aware of two types of fraudsters: those who ask to send money to their personal accounts and those who create a web in the name of huge profits and demand payment.