India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Arjun Prakash, the suspected mastermind behind a sprawling transnational cyber fraud syndicate, as he attempted to flee to Kathmandu from Delhi’s IGI Airport. The arrest comes under the government’s ongoing Operation Chakra, aimed at dismantling international cybercrime networks.
CBI’s case traces to May, when an FIR was registered following intelligence shared by the FBI, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and Microsoft. The operation uncovered a tech-support call centre operating under the name FirstIdea in the Noida Special Economic Zone, defrauding victims in the UK, Australia, and EU nations using manipulated support scripts and forged credentials.
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An International Scam Network Comes Apart
Prakash was the principal architect supervising day-to-day operations, CBI officials say. The arrest culminated after multi-agency tracking and the issuance of a lookout notice following his evasion earlier this year. The investigative sweep included coordinated searches, digital forensics, and international collaboration—underscoring India’s growing ability to disrupt cybercriminal operations.
This action builds on earlier successes under Operation Chakra—that included raids in Noida, Amritsar, and across five northern states—which had uncovered mule-account networks, fraudulent KYC bypasses, and digital arrest scams amounting to seizures of over 8.5 lakh accounts.
A Broader Takedown Strategy
The CBI’s efforts sit within a broader crackdown that already toppled cybercrime infrastructures across multiple regions. For instance, operation Chakra-IV dismantled a ring that defrauded US citizens of nearly USD 40 million, capturing three key operatives and shutting down the “Digikaps” call centre in Amritsar.
What began as Indian-centric digital arrests—victims coerced via fake summons—has now evolved into a global cybercrime battle. The CBI is now working with Interpol and foreign agencies to map financial flows and dismantle offshore links.
With the mastermind now in custody, authorities say additional arrests and investigations may follow, as the call centre’s digital infrastructure is decrypted and bank trails are tracked.
