CBI cracks down on fraud rings targeting US citizens

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted a sophisticated transnational criminal organization targeting American citizens with elaborate scams. In a major crackdown on financial crimes, the CBI claimed to have arrested suspects who used digital assets to commit illegal activities.

The CBI said in a statement that during the raid, it was able to arrest six accused with around Rs 100 crore. The 1.88 billion yen (approximately $207,000) in cash recovered from the criminals was one of the largest seizures of its kind.

The arrested suspects have been identified as Shubham Singh, who uses the pseudonym Domnik, Daltanlian, who goes by the name Michael, George T. Zamurianlar, who goes by the name Miles, L. Seiminlen Haokip, who goes by the name Ronnie, Magkorun, who goes by the name Maxey, and Robert Tankanqual, who uses the pseudonyms David and Manloin.

CBI busts criminals targeting US citizens

According to the CBI, this criminal organization has been active since 2022 and has targeted Americans with several scams. Authorities also claimed that the criminals obtained more than $8 million from these scams. The operation, which led to their arrest, was carried out by the CBI on the basis of information provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The statement said the defendants operated under multiple aliases, including agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, and the Social Security Administration (SSA). They carried out a complex conspiracy to defraud the American public and successfully defrauded unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned funds. Their modus operandi included calling and threatening US residents, the CBI said in a statement.

The CBI claimed that in some cases, criminals call US residents and tell them that their social security numbers (SSNs) are involved in money laundering or drug delivery schemes. They will further claim that they have the right to freeze all assets in your bank account. Using this fear tactic, they were able to manipulate most of their victims into transferring funds to the provided cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts.

Officials said the bank account and cryptocurrency wallet used in the scam were under the control of one of the syndicate members. The CBI registered the case on December 9 and immediately started an investigation. This led to simultaneous searches in several connected areas including Delhi and Noida. The CBI was able to arrest the suspects who were engaged in criminal activities at an illegal call center run by a syndicate in Noida.

Operation Chakra continues to record success

Authorities claimed that searches continued on December 10 and 11 and that the network’s operational area had been dismantled. They argued that criminals can channel illegal proceeds through a complex network of digital assets and bank transfers. Police were able to recover cash, electronic devices including a laptop, phone and hard drive, and incriminating evidence related to the crime from the suspect.

The crackdown is part of Operation Chakra, a flagship initiative approved by India to go after transnational criminal networks. This operation will be carried out in close coordination with Interpol, the FBI, and several foreign law enforcement agencies. CBI officials also added that investigations are still underway to trace further accomplices and establish the flow of funds to identify the complete proceeds of the crime.

The CBI had initially arrested Vikas Kumar Nimal on November 24 and busted an illegal call center he was running in Lucknow. The agency acted on intelligence and conducted several searches on the premises to arrest suspects related to suspects in other cities. The suspect was reported to authorities by a well-meaning resident who smelled activity going on inside the building.