Cybercrime ringleader arrested in Rs. 47 lakh extortion case, fake account network exposed

Chirag Kapoor, the alleged mastermind of a cyber extortion syndicate, was arrested in Bengaluru on January 9, in connection with a case involving the extortion of Rs. 47 lakh. The case, registered by Cyber PS Kolkata (case no. 60/24) on June 17, 2024, was filed by Mrs. Debeshi Dutta, who reported being coerced into making payments to cybercriminals. The fraudsters manipulated Dutta by falsely claiming that her personal credentials had been used in sending parcels containing contraband drugs and engaging in money laundering activities. Fearful of being implicated, she transferred substantial amounts to various accounts as directed by the criminals.

The investigation, which followed the money trail from Dutta’s payments, revealed that one of the transactions, totaling Rs. 7.4 lakh, was deposited into an account with Jana Small Finance Bank, held by Uma Burney, the proprietor of Brain Burst Robotics. This discovery prompted a series of raids on September 28, 2024, in areas including Anandapur, Patuli, and Narendrapur. The operation uncovered a makeshift office that was used to operate fraudulent bank accounts and collect personal information. Eight individuals were arrested during the raids, and authorities seized a range of evidence, including 104 passbooks, 61 mobile phones, 33 debit cards, 140 SIM cards, two QR code machines, 40 seals, and 10 lease agreements, all part of the operation to create and sell fake accounts.

Further investigation linked Kapoor, who operated the network from behind the scenes, to the fraudulent activities. Kapoor avoided direct involvement by working through intermediaries. His agents were responsible for altering the credentials, passwords, and mail IDs associated with the accounts before selling them to cybercriminals across India. This network was discovered to be active for an extended period, with fraudulent accounts being produced on a large scale and sold to other criminals for use in illegal activities.

In October 2024, one of Kapoor’s associates was arrested in Delhi, revealing further details about the operation. However, Kapoor remained elusive until his arrest on January 9, 2025. During his apprehension, a variety of electronic and physical evidence was recovered from his residence, located in the Anjanapura area of Bengaluru. The seized items included three routers, two hard discs, one laptop, four mobile phones with active SIM cards, five additional SIM cards, three PAN cards, four chequebooks, one USB drive, and six rubber stamps bearing the names of different companies. These items were directly linked to the fraudulent account operation and its associated criminal activities.

Kapoor’s arrest brings the total number of arrests in this case to 10. Authorities are continuing to piece together the full scope of the cybercrime operation, which spanned multiple regions and involved the creation of fraudulent financial accounts, money laundering, and extortion. Kapoor is expected to be produced before a jurisdictional court, and transit custody has been requested for further investigation. The cybercrime division is pursuing leads to uncover the wider network and any potential international links involved in the sale and use of fake accounts for criminal purposes.