New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- The Delhi Police has arrested 944 people and registered 1,032 cases during a two-day crackdown on cybercrime, with investigations linked to 4,002 complaints involving alleged fraud of around Rs 479 crore, officials said on Friday.

The sixth edition of Operation CyHawk, conducted on October 28 and 29, also saw 788 people bound down and notices served on another 2,081, taking the total number of people dealt with to 3,813, they said.

As many as 4,979 suspects were detained or rounded up for verification across the national capital during the

operation, which involved all 15 police districts, the Crime Branch (Cyber) and the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations

(IFSO) unit.

Police registered 596 fresh FIRs and took action in 432 old cases, as well as four Kalandras, officials said. Of the 4,002 cybercrime complaints worked out, 727 were from Delhi and 3,275 from other states and Union Territories, involving an alleged cheated amount of Rs 479.14 crore.

A total of 283 police teams travelled to at least 17 states and five Union Territories to conduct raids and apprehend

suspects, targeting organised networks involved in supplying mule bank accounts, fraudulent SIM cards, illegal call centres and laundering money through cash and cryptocurrency.

The operation recovered 1,037 mobile phones, 1,301 SIM cards, 106 laptops and computers, 397 ATM cards, more than 244

bank kits and passbooks, 325 Aadhaar cards, six SIM boxes, 11 cars and 10 two-wheelers.

Police seized Rs 37.67 lakh in cash, besides gold and cryptocurrency, officials said.

According to police, the operation focused on dismantling the infrastructure supporting cyber fraud rather than

targeting only individuals making fraudulent calls. It aimed to identify

account suppliers, bank insiders, SIM card providers, call centre operators, and those involved

in moving the proceeds of crime.

Major cases included a Jamtara-linked credit card syndicate busted in Dhanbad, a matrimonial fraud gang operating

from Durg-Bhilai, mule-account suppliers in Kanpur and Greater Noida, and account facilitators in Mumbai, Lucknow, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Police said several districts uncovered networks in which fraudsters set up fake firms to open current accounts and supply them to cyber fraudsters for commissions.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.