Delhi’s cyber warriors struck hard with Operation Cy-Hawk-4, exposing a labyrinth of cybercrime networks spanning states. South-West District Police arrested 113 individuals in 57 FIRs, connecting 303 grievances to mule banking and phone networks.
Fraudsters had swindled nearly ₹22 crore, but police interventions froze ₹17 lakh en route to thieves’ pockets. The haul was impressive: ₹47.79 lakh cash, a swanky Mercedes S-Class, laptops, dozens of phones, passbooks, debit cards, mule SIMs, and more. Over 488 people were grilled, 164 notices served, and 23 fresh cases filed.
At the heart was an audacious air ticket scam preying on NRIs from Delhi, Goa, and Mumbai bases. Key player Mridul Joshi’s fake call centers in Patel Nagar and Goa crumbled under arrests. Confiscations included ₹47 lakh, the Mercedes, tech gadgets, and fake SIMs—one complainant out ₹3.8 lakh.
Forensic deep dives into social media, messaging apps, search data, and carrier logs unraveled the syndicate’s digital footprint, revealing mule account pipelines.
Parallelly, a fake loan app gang using Pak-Bangla virtual lines was dismantled, nabbing six. They shared UPI QRs for laundering via mules, then crypto. Victims faced extortion after device hacks. WhatsApp logs and digital breadcrumbs linked seven complaints; six phones seized held the proof.
Operation Cy-Hawk-4 signals a new era in cyber policing, blending human grit with cutting-edge tech to shield citizens from online predators.
