Jamtara is passé: Rajasthan is new cybercrime hub

Following stringent action by local authorities against cyber fraud in Jamtara Jharkhand not a single arrest has been made from the state in cyber crime cases this year However officials report a notable trend of cyber crime activity in certain villages of Rajasthan The Cyber Crime Unit which arrested five cyber criminals in 2022 has already detained around 16 suspects from Rajasthan this year These figures exclude arrests by local police stations across the regionOfficials claim that villages in Rajasthan are increasingly becoming hubs for cyber fraud and they face significant challenges in making arrests because entire villages are often involved in these crimesExplaining the trend Cyber Crime officials state that since 2022 they have arrested 680 online fraud suspects Among these 287 were apprehended in Maharashtra which leads the statistics followed by 56 arrests in Uttar Pradesh 41 in Gujarat and 36 in Rajasthan Notably no arrests have been made in Jamtara this year although in 2023 12 suspects were detained from JharkhandGirls in these areas are married off to those earning significant amounts from cybercrime Representation picldquoWe have observed that states like Gujarat UP and Maharashtra do not have specific hubs or organised crime syndicates involved in cyber fraud However the situation in Rajasthan is different In many cases we found that entire villages were engaged in fraud Officers visiting these areas often face resistance as villagers refuse to cooperaterdquo an official from the Cyber Crime Cell explainedAnother officer added ldquoCompared to previous years we are increasingly arresting suspects from Rajasthan Our investigations have revealed that villages like Bharatpur Nuh and Mehwar as well as cities like Jodhpur and Jaipur are involved in cybercrimes These groups are interlinked and alert each other dailyrdquoAccording to the police entire villages have sometimes been implicated in cyber fraud schemes ldquoWe have noticed that many young people in these villages treat cyber fraud as a fulltime occupation Even girls in these areas are married off to individuals earning significant amounts from cybercrimerdquo said an officerIn villages like Bharatpur Mehwar and Nuh suspects are involved in calling victims while those from Jodhpur and Jaipur create mule accounts ldquoWe found that villagers make the fraudulent calls while accounts are maintained in the cities Withdrawals often occur at city ATMs Our investigations have shown that these two groups are interconnectedrdquo said an officerFor example Kalachowki police arrested a suspect in March for allegedly extorting a victim ldquoThe accused told the victim he could arrange for call girls and then extorted money We filed an FIR and through technical investigation discovered that the suspect was operating from Bankoda a village in Rajasthanrdquo police told middayTechnical investigations revealed that the fraudster had withdrawn money from an ATM Police obtained CCTV footage from the bank and identified the suspect as Mahindra Patidar ldquoPatidar operated in the Adivasi area of Bankoda and the locals were uncooperative making our investigation challenging After checking more than 70 hotels we finally nabbed him We posed as Zomato delivery agents to confirm his address He was the main accusedrdquo the police explainedPatidar typically extorted small amounts between R500 and R1000 to build trust ldquoHe admitted to extorting R500 from a victim by offering to arrange a call girl We seized three mobile phones and nine SIM cards and dismantled his cyber fraud ringrdquo said the policeAccording to the Cyber Cell and local police apprehending suspects in these areas is difficult due to lack of cooperation from villagers ldquoWe have about 310 minutes to arrest the suspect Locals often alert others that police from out of state are present and soon the whole village gathers around the suspectrsquos house We have also encountered instances where village women try to shield the men from arrest In some Rajasthan villages our officers have faced violent resistancerdquo an officer said680No of online fraud arrests across states since rsquo2236No of fraudsters arrested in Rajasthan since 2022Villages notorious for cyber fraudPolice report that villages in this area operate call centres to scam victims under various pretexts ldquoThere is a high chance that cyber frauds committed by these villages go unreported as they involve small amounts of moneyrdquo said the police They explained that the fraudsters run small call centres and deceive victims by offering fake services such as doctor appointments assistance with electricity bills or services for Army personnelBharatpur According to police sources quoted villagers here deceive victims by offering fake insurance or by scamming people on OLX and similar appsJaipur and Jodhpur Police indicate that fraudsters in these areas are involved in creating fake accounts where funds are deposited and later withdrawn from ATMs in these regionsReasons why villagers commit cyber frauds1 Quick money2 Unemployment3 Local supportHow to save yourself from online fraudldquoAs cyber threats evolve safeguarding your digital identity is paramount Stay vigilant protect your personal information and report any suspicious activity Together we can create a safer digital space for everyone We request citizens to contact the 1930 helpline in case of cyber fraudsrdquo said DCP Crime Datta Nalawde while speaking to middayCYBER HELPLINE NUMBER1930