Delhi Police arrests 42 people under special operation against cybercrimes
New Delhi (PTI) Police have arrested 42 people in southwest Delhi under a special drive against cybercrime for their alleged involvement in multiple inter-state fraud modules that duped victims of more than Rs 254 crore, an official said on Saturday.
The arrests were made during raids under Operation CyHawk, and the police said 23 FIRs were registered and 377 NCRP complaints were found linked to the accused.
A total of three laptops, two computer systems, 43 mobile phones, 17 passbooks, two cheque books, 14 debit cards and Rs 1.6 lakh in cash were recovered during the raids.
The police said the crackdown targeted modules involved in ATM fraud, 'digital arrest' scams, job-fraud operations, digital-marketing fraud, USDT-based laundering, cheque-withdrawal syndicates and large mule-account networks operating across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Technical analysis of mule accounts flagged by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) revealed suspicious activity in four private bank accounts in Kishangarh. The accounts were linked to fraud cases registered in Kolkata and Mumbai, following which a case was registered.
During the investigation, Asgar Ali (23) and Ankit Singh (26) -- both alleged mule-account suppliers -- were arrested. Their interrogation led the police to the alleged mastermind, Ravi Kumar Singh (31), who was arrested after a seven-day chase across Noida, Delhi and Ghaziabad.
Ravi allegedly operated fraudulent call centres in Noida and Kotla Mubarakpur, and lured victims through fake job advertisements for private airlines. He also routed proceeds of cheating through mule accounts with the help of another accused, Ravi Mishra, police said.
Three additional suspects -- Rajan Singh Negi (32), Kamlesh Pal (35) and a 24-year-old woman -- were arrested from a functioning call centre in Kotla Mubarakpur. Ten keypad phones, five smartphones, two laptops, one computer system and a register containing details of fraudulent transactions were seized.
In a separate case, an FIR was registered after it was found that bank accounts in the name of Rajesh Kumar were used to withdraw fraud proceeds in at least six NCRP complaints. Raids conducted in Mandawali and Najafgarh led to the arrest of Rajesh (31) and three accomplices -- Sajan Kumar (27), Akash Kumar (25) and Gopal Yadav (25).
The police recovered 17 passbooks, eight debit cards, three mobile phones and Rs 1.6 lakh in cash.
In another case, a current account opened in the name of Dynamic Dreams was found linked to 244 cybercrime complaints involving losses of about Rs 186 crore. A case was registered and one of the account holders, Ranjit Singh (41), was arrested after raids in Nilothi.
In another case, five bank accounts in the name of Gayatri Kumari (23) were traced to 23 cybercrime complaints. Gayatri was arrested from Dabri Extension, and her interrogation led to the arrest of Aman Bhardwaj (32), who police say helped convert the cheated funds into USDT cryptocurrency.
Further investigation is underway.
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3 killed, 15 injured in fire after blast at firecracker unit in MP's Dewas; CM orders probe
Dewas/Indore (PTI): At least three workers were killed and 15 persons injured after a fire broke out following an explosion at a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district on Thursday, an official said.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and ordered an investigation. The state government will provide an assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, and the injured will receive free treatment, he said in a post on X.
Three persons were killed in the fire at the firecracker unit located in Tonk Kalan area, and around 15 injured persons were sent to hospitals in Indore and Dewas, Collector Rituraj Singh told reporters after inspecting the site.
Videos of the aftermath surfaced on social media, showing thick white smoke billowing from the factory along the Agra–Mumbai national highway. The clips also showed people rushing the injured for treatment amid cries for help, with body parts seen scattered at the site.
The collector said the fire has been brought under control. The administration has taken possession of explosives stored at another location within the unit, he said.
The work to manufacture small firecrackers at the factory of a person named Anil Malviya had begun only 15 days ago, and a licence has been issued for the unit, the collector said.
A detailed investigation is underway into the incident, he added.
CM Yadav said, "I have directed Deputy Chief Minister and Dewas district guardian minister Jagdish Devda, the home secretary and senior officials to visit the spot. An inquiry has also been ordered into the incident."
Local residents said there was a massive explosion at the factory, and the victims' body parts were found scattered far away from the site.
They said construction work was underway at the site and different sheds were being built there.
