Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district have claimed significant success in combating cybercrime through the use of the ‘Pratibimb’ technology platform. According to police, the system has helped uncover cyber fraud cases involving more than ₹1,100 crore, leading to the arrest of over 60 cybercrime suspects and the recovery of nearly ₹6 crore for victims. Officials said the platform analyses mobile numbers, bank accounts, and digital activities linked to cybercriminals, enabling investigators to identify suspects and trace their locations more efficiently.
According to investigators, cybercriminals use a variety of tactics to defraud victims, including fake KYC verification calls, ATM blocking scams, bogus job offers, lottery frauds, medical emergency scams, digital arrest schemes, nude video call blackmail, fraudulent investment offers, and other social engineering methods. Mobile numbers, bank accounts, and other digital identifiers used in these offences are uploaded to the Pratibimb platform. If the same identifiers are used in future cybercrimes, the system analyses the digital activity and generates technical intelligence that helps investigators quickly identify and locate the suspects.
Police stated that before the introduction of the platform, tracing cybercriminals was considerably more difficult, resulting in relatively low arrest rates. Since the technology became operational in 2024, the success rate in identifying and arresting suspects has reportedly increased substantially, allowing investigators to dismantle cybercrime networks more effectively.
Authorities highlighted several major investigations in which the platform played a key role. In one case, analysis of suspicious mobile numbers led investigators to bank accounts linked to Raipur and Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. The investigation allegedly exposed a cyber fraud network involving transactions worth more than ₹1,100 crore, in which victims were reportedly targeted through gaming application-based scams. During the operation, police arrested 20 suspects and seized 150 Android smartphones, 11 laptops, 50 passbooks, 30 cheque books, and 136 ATM cards.
In another investigation, technical intelligence generated through the Pratibimb platform helped police arrest three members of an alleged cybercrime syndicate involved in ₹84 crore worth of online trading and digital arrest scams. Investigators alleged that the accused supplied mule bank accounts on a commission basis, and the inquiry linked them to 73 complaints registered across 20 states.
In a separate case, analysis of a mobile number flagged by the platform led investigators to a network of 24 bank accounts. The investigation found that the account holders were residents of Jaunpur, while the accounts were allegedly being operated from Bardah and Nizamabad in Azamgarh district. Police claimed the case involved cyber fraud amounting to approximately ₹36 crore, resulting in the arrest of five suspects. Investigators also alleged that the accused had links with cybercrime gangs operating from Jamtara, Jharkhand.
Renowned cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said that modern cybercrime investigations increasingly rely on data intelligence, banking trail analysis, mobile number correlation, and digital link analysis. He noted that integrating information from multiple cases enables investigators to identify organised cybercrime networks more efficiently. However, he stressed that every digital lead must undergo forensic verification and that investigations should ultimately be based on legally admissible evidence rather than technical indicators alone.
Police said the district Cyber Police Station and Cyber Cell continue to work in coordination using the Pratibimb platform to identify emerging cybercrime networks and apprehend offenders. Authorities have urged the public not to trust suspicious phone calls, messages, investment offers, or banking requests without proper verification. Citizens who become victims of cyber fraud have been advised to immediately report the incident to the nearest cyber police station or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal so that prompt preventive and investigative action can be taken.
