A 25-year-old man from Assam has been arrested for allegedly acting as a key financial handler for a cybercrime network suspected to be linked to Chinese operators, Gujarat’s Cyber Centre of Excellence officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Rafikul Alam, a resident of Sanchuka near Barpeta Road in Assam, was allegedly involved in 1,090 cybercrime cases across India involving transactions worth around ₹1,071.55 crore, according to Superintendent of Police, Cyber Centre of Excellence, Vivek Bheda.
Investigators alleged that Alam routed money obtained through so-called “digital arrest” scams and other forms of cyber fraud through multiple bank accounts. To avoid detection, large sums were reportedly divided into smaller amounts and transferred through as many as 1,754 bank accounts within less than an hour before being converted into cryptocurrency for the alleged foreign-based network.
According to officials, the investigation indicated that Alam was in direct contact with alleged Chinese handlers through messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram. He allegedly exchanged scanners, user IDs, passwords, cryptocurrency wallet information and details of the methods used in cyber fraud.
Police recovered information relating to 23 cryptocurrency wallets from Alam’s mobile phone. Transactions associated with those wallets were found to have exceeded ₹16 crore, officials said.
The investigation also helped the Gujarat Cyber Centre of Excellence prevent money from being transferred in 10 ongoing digital arrest fraud cases in Gujarat and other states.
In one such case in Ahmedabad, a senior citizen was allegedly placed under a fake digital arrest after fraudsters posing as Nashik Police officials threatened to implicate him in a child pornography case. The suspects allegedly demanded ₹20 lakh from him.
The cybercrime team detected that the victim was being subjected to a live digital arrest and reached his residence late at night. After counselling him, the team managed to prevent the transfer of money to the fraudsters.
The Gujarat police team subsequently travelled to Barpeta in Assam, where officials conducted surveillance for three days before raiding Alam’s residence. Technical devices and other materials were seized during the operation.
According to the Cyber Centre of Excellence, Alam allegedly played a key role in routing funds generated through cyber frauds across the country and converting the proceeds into cryptocurrency for the foreign-based network.
Three FIRs have been registered against Alam at the Cyber Crime Police Station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act, including Section 66(D) of the IT Act.
The investigation into the alleged cybercrime network and its financial links is continuing.
