Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) on Sunday said it has arrested 81 people, including 7 women, in connection with cases of cyber offences, in a simultaneous multi-state special operation in October, an official said on Sunday. The arrests made as part of the operation are connected to 41 cases registered under the seven TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations (CCPS). So far, investigators have traced 754 crime links across India, including 128 linked to Telangana, involving acts of fraud worth Rs 95 crore, TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said in a release.

Among those arrested in the 25-day-long coordinated special operation across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, 17 were identified as agents, 11 were involved in cheque and cash withdrawals amounting to Rs 34,70,900, and 53 were mule account holders who received commissions of up to 5 per cent on the fraudulent amounts transacted through their accounts, she said. The operation also led to the seizure of 84 mobile phones, 101 SIM cards, and 89 bank passbooks and cheque books used in various fraudulent transactions, Goel said.

Preliminary investigation indicates that some of the accused have links with individuals operating from outside India, and Look-Out Circulars (LOCs) are being opened against the identified foreign-linked suspects, she said. TGCSB continues its investigation to uncover additional crime links, interstate connections, and international networks involved in these large-scale cyber fraud operations, the release further said.