Cyber Criminals Turn Global: CBI Busts Indian Syndicate Duping Japanese Citizens in Fake Tech Support Scam
New Delhi, May 29 – Indian cyber crooks are now going global, and their latest victims aren’t even in the country. In a major crackdown under Operation Chakra V, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday busted a transnational cybercrime syndicate targeting Japanese citizens in a slick tech support scam.
Acting on solid intel, CBI teams swooped down on 19 locations spread across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. By the end of the day, six alleged masterminds were behind bars, and two shady call centers—set up to look like legit customer support hubs—were shut down.
The gang’s modus operandi was simple but effective: pose as tech support reps from big names like Microsoft, scare foreign users into thinking their devices were hacked, and then coax them into transferring money to so-called “mule accounts.”
All of this was done from inside India, but the victims were sitting thousands of kilometers away in Japan.
The CBI said it had registered a formal case after getting credible input on cyber syndicates fleecing foreign nationals—especially targeting Japanese citizens.
Once the case was live, the agency roped in the National Police Agency of Japan and cybercrime teams at Microsoft.
The international coordination helped nail down the structure of the syndicate and eventually led to the multi-state raids.
During the searches, CBI officials recovered heaps of digital and physical evidence showing the scale of operations.
Early findings suggest the syndicate relied on a mix of technical trickery and psychological manipulation—classic social engineering—to dupe their targets.
This operation underscores a troubling trend: cyber criminals are no longer just after local wallets.
They’re scaling up, setting up call centers like proper businesses, and picking off victims across borders.
A senior CBI officer said, “Cybercrime is evolving fast, and we’re evolving faster.
Operations like Chakra V are part of our firm resolve to hunt down digital fraudsters—no matter where the victim is.”
As cybercrime grows into a global racket, the CBI says it will continue to bolster its cyber investigation capabilities and work with international partners to ensure cyber crooks don’t get a free run—at home or abroad.
