Tribune News Service
Sumedha Sharma
Gurugram, April 30
Cyber criminals, most of them youngsters, arrested by the Nuh police following a massive crackdown on 300 locations in 14 villages were trained in twin villages of Jurehera and Ghamdi in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district. The two villages, situated on the Haryana-Rajasthan border, and a few neighbouring villages have emerged as the “cybercrime training hub” that offers fake SIM cards and documents, on the basis of which back accounts were opened.
On April 27, the police conducted multiple raids in Nuh district as part of its massive crackdown against cyber criminals. In all, 102 police teams, comprising more than 5,000 personnel, raided 14 villages in Nuh and apprehended 125 cybercriminals.
Nuh Superintendent of Police Varun Singla said, “The matter is under investigation and the details can’t be revealed. The Nuh police have requested 40 expert investigators to help probe the cybercrime cases.”
A senior investigator said the accused confessed to having been trained at makeshift training schools in Jurehera and Ghamdi villages.
According to him, Jurehera village specialises in providing fake documents, on the basis of which bank accounts are opened. This village has experts who can open hundreds of accounts in a matter of days, while Ghamdi residents help provide cybercriminals with hundreds of fake SIM cards.
Another investigator said, “Those operating training schools have a broad network across the country. They arrange ID cards of job-seekers and migrants, and use the details to get fake SIM cards and documents. A majority of the fake bank accounts are opened in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. From making professional calls to lucrative social media messaging, the not-so-educated trainers train hundreds of youths of Mewat.”
The accused reportedly told the police that more than 100 fraudsters were operating training schools in the area and charged fee for different modules of training. They even tied up with gangs so that the trainees could be adjusted after the completion of the course.
Phishing and OLX frauds are the cheapest courses, with fee ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 per month. “Sextortion” or honeytrap is the costliest course. Its duration is three months.
Once trained, a majority of the cybercriminals operate from the fields in the foothills, as it is difficult to track phones there. Several villages, such as Mamlika, have come under scanner as farmers allegedly rent out their fields on a per hour basis to cybercriminals to carry out their operations.
DARK SIDE OF NET
- More than 100 fraudsters operate cyber fraud training schools at Jurehera and Ghamdi in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district
- They charge fee for different modules of training; tie up with gangs so that trainees can be adjusted after the completion of the course
- Phishing and OLX frauds are the cheapest courses with fee ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 a month; “sextortion” is the costliest
- Once trained, a majority of the cybercriminals operate from the fields in the foothills as it is difficult to track phones there
#cyber crime
#Nuh
#Rajasthan