In a major blow to transnational cybercrime, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested six individuals and dismantled two illegal call centres in Delhi, accused of orchestrating tech support scams targeting Japanese citizens.

The operation, dubbed Operation Chakra V, involved coordinated raids across 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on May 28, 2025, following intelligence shared by Japan’s National Police Agency and Microsoft.

The arrested individuals, identified as Ashu Singh (Delhi), Kapil Ghakhar (Panipat, Haryana), Rohit Maurya (Ayodhya), and Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj, and Adarsh Kumar (Varanasi), allegedly ran sophisticated call centres masquerading as legitimate customer service units.

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Using advanced social engineering and technical deception, the syndicate tricked victims into believing their devices were compromised, coercing them into transferring funds to mule accounts for fake virus removal services.

“This international collaboration was pivotal in mapping the syndicate’s operations and executing this crackdown,” the CBI stated. The raids yielded a trove of digital evidence, including computers, mobile phones, and incriminating documents, revealing the scam’s large-scale operations. Preliminary findings highlight the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to mask calls and evade detection.

Operation Chakra V builds on previous CBI efforts, such as Chakra-III, which targeted similar scams affecting over 2,000 victims globally. The agency’s partnership with international law enforcement and tech giants underscores India’s commitment to combating cyber-enabled financial crimes. Further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the syndicate’s network.

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