Police crackdown on cyber fraud, arrest over 1,400
In one of the largest coordinated crackdowns on cybercrime in recent years, Delhi Police have rounded up 8,371 suspects and arrested over 1,400 accused as part of Operation CyHawk, a city-wide drive targeting organised cyber fraud networks.
The month-long, intelligence-driven operation resulted in the registration of 499 new FIRs and significant breakthroughs in 324 pending cyber fraud cases, police stated. Authorities also issued 2,203 legal notices to individuals linked to the financial chain of cyber fraud modules.
The Commissioner of Police, Delhi, Satish Golchha, said the operation marked a shift towards proactive policing aimed at dismantling the financial and operational backbone of cybercrime networks. “Operation CyHawk reflects Delhi Police’s commitment to stay ahead of cyber criminals through intelligence-led policing. Those who exploit citizens through digital means will be identified and brought to justice,” he said.
The crackdown focused on disrupting mule accounts, illegal call centres, and networks involved in siphoning defrauded money. Police said over Rs 519 crore linked to cyber fraud complaints registered on the national portal has been traced to multiple bank accounts associated with organised syndicates.
The operation was carried out with support from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Investigators spent nearly a month mapping cybercrime hotspot, analysing suspicious transactions, and tracking digital trails before launching coordinated raids across multiple districts.
Senior officers stated that the operation targeted key elements of the cyber fraud ecosystem, including mule accounts used for fund transfers, field agents involved in cash withdrawals, and call centres engaged in scams such as fake job offers, tech support fraud, telemarketing deception, and customer care impersonation.
Several illegal call centres were shut down during the raids, preventing ongoing scams that targeted victims across the country. Police also linked 3,564 complaints from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to identified suspects and bank accounts, strengthening the investigation.
The operation was led on the ground by Special Commissioner Madhup Tewari and Special Commissioner Anil Shukla, with coordination from Joint Commissioners Rajneesh Gupta and Vijay Kumar.
Police recovered a large volume of digital and financial evidence during searches conducted at multiple locations. Seized items include mobile phones, laptops, hard drives, SIM cards, debit and credit cards, and financial records.
