The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted a transnational cyber fraud syndicate that was operating a sophisticated fake tech support scam targeting citizens in the United Kingdom and Australia.
The agency arrested a person in connection with the case. The action is part of the agency's ongoing Operation Chakra-V.
The syndicate operated through a fully functional fake call centre under the name FirstIdea, located in the Noida Special Economic Zone.
In a coordinated raid conducted on Monday, CBI sleuths searched three locations in Noida and caught fraudsters in the act - live scam calls were detected as the operation was synchronised with the time zones of targeted victims.
The group posed as technical support agents of reputed multinational companies such as Microsoft, tricking unsuspecting foreign nationals into believing that their devices were infected or compromised. They would then extort money under the pretext of providing "tech support" for non-existent problems.
Acting on credible intelligence, the CBI registered a case and launched the operation with support from the FBI (USA), the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), and Microsoft Corporation.
During the searches, investigators seized advanced calling infrastructure, malicious software scripts, and documents that revealed the large-scale nature of the scam. The syndicate had developed systems that ensured anonymity and enabled cross-border targeting on a significant scale.
A key operative, identified as a partner in the FirstIdea operation, has been arrested and is being produced before the Special CBI Court today, July 8.
The CBI has reaffirmed its commitment to fighting cybercrime and reiterated its resolve to collaborate with international law enforcement and tech giants to bring such criminals to justice. Through Operation Chakra-V and similar initiatives, the Bureau is actively working to dismantle cybercriminal networks operating across borders.
The arrested person's name is Nishant Walia, who is a partner in Firstidea.
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