Assam Police Team Nabs Three Cyber Criminals in Siliguri, Recovers Equipment

GUWAHATI: In a major breakthrough against cyber crime, Assam police on Monday (August 7) arrested three cyber criminals from Siliguri town of West Bengal.

The arrests were made following an investigation into a complaint by a retired government employee from Pathsala, who had been duped of around Rs 30 lakh after he had fallen prey to cyber fraud.

Assam police zeroed in on the suspects following investigation into the complaint filed by the retired person, which resulted in the 3 accused being arrested from Siliguri.

A team of Barpeta police conducted a successful operation in Siliguri and managed to apprehend the fraud trio identified as Tamej Uddin, Mustakim Mia and Afjal Ansari respectively.

Moreover, the police team also managed to seize a few objectionable items from their possession that were suspected to have been used to commit cyber crimes.

The police team also recovered 7 mobile phones and 11 ATM cards from the possession of the three arrested criminals.

After their arrest, the police conducted an investigation into the antecedents of the criminals, which brought to light that all three arrested are residents of Deoghar district of Jharkhand, a state that has gained notoriety for cyber crime.

According to available information, the number of cyber criminals operating from the Jamtara district of Jharkhand is overwhelming. It is regarded as the phishing capital of India.

The police are aware that there are numerous cyber fraud gangs, which are actively operating in Jamtara. They are known to tempt people with attractive deals, and once they are hooked, the criminals proceed to loot them through the use of smart devices.

Police sources also revealed that they have come to know about some youths from Kalgachia and Baghbar of Barpeta, who are connected with these gangs from Jamtara and help them in their criminal activities.

In the meantime, all the three accused are slated to be produced before the CJM court in Barpeta today.

The Assam government has been concerned about the recent wave of cyber crimes. Last month, it notified that two cyber police stations and as many cyber police outposts will be set up to combat cyber crimes in the state. Of the two cyber police stations, one will be at the CID headquarters, and the other will be established at the Guwahati Police Commissionerate. The state government has also planned two cyber police outposts, one at Dibrugarh and the other at Silchar.

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