Patna Police have arrested four alleged members of an international cyber fraud network accused of targeting people in the United States by posing as technical support operators and demanding payments to fix computer problems.
The racket was allegedly operating from the Musallahpur police station area in Patna. Police said the accused used internet-based calling systems, malware and other digital tools to interfere with victims’ computers before demanding money for supposed repairs.
The arrested accused have been identified as Om Prakash Thakur, Satyam Kumar, Akshay Kumar Sah and Abhishek Kumar.
Investigators have frozen around ₹3.50 lakh held in accounts linked to the suspects and are now examining whether money received from foreign victims was moved through a wider hawala or informal remittance network.
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International calls allegedly diverted to Patna operators
According to police, the accused monitored or diverted calls made to international customer-support numbers.
When foreign customers called seeking help with computer problems, members of the alleged network would answer and communicate with them in their language and accent. They then allegedly convinced the callers that their computers had serious technical problems.
Police say malicious software was then used during some interactions to interfere with or gain access to the machines.
The accused would allegedly present themselves as technicians capable of fixing the newly created or exaggerated problem and demand substantial payments.
The amount sought reportedly depended on the victim and the circumstances of the interaction.
Payments from overseas victims were allegedly received in dollars before being converted into Indian currency and moved into local accounts. Police are tracing that money trail to determine who ultimately received the funds.
Four laptops, nine phones and ₹1.09 lakh seized
The investigation began after police received information about suspicious cyber activity in Musallahpur.
Police first arrested Akshay Kumar Sah. Information obtained during questioning then led officers to three other alleged members of the network.
During the raids, police recovered four laptops, nine Android phones, hard drives, seven ATM cards, headsets with microphones, an internet router and two motorcycles.
Around ₹1.09 lakh in cash was also seized.
Investigators are examining the computers and storage devices for communication records, victim details and evidence relating to transactions. Amar Ujala reported that police also recovered data connected with more than one lakh email addresses.
Police say the group claimed during interrogation that the present operation had been running for around six months. Investigators are also examining information suggesting that some members may have been involved in similar activity since 2022.
How the fake tech-support scam works
A tech-support scam relies on convincing a victim that something is wrong with their computer when the problem is either exaggerated or deliberately created.
The fraudster may impersonate a software company or customer-support technician and persuade the victim to install a remote-access programme or other software.
Once access is granted, the criminal can manipulate what appears on the screen, install malicious programmes or claim to have discovered viruses and security problems.
The victim is then charged for a repair that was unnecessary or for fixing a problem the criminals themselves helped create.
The FBI continues to warn that tech-support methods are used alongside other impersonation scams to extract money from US victims. Its 2024 cybercrime statistics recorded more than $107 million in reported losses involving tech-support scams where cryptocurrency ATMs were used as a payment channel alone.
Police examine possible hawala route
The international nature of the payments has opened another line of investigation.
Patna Police are examining whether a hawala channel was used to move some of the money collected abroad. The Cyber Police Station is expected to assist in tracing the route from foreign payments and currency conversion to accounts in India.
Hawala refers to an informal value-transfer system in which money can effectively be settled through intermediaries without the funds necessarily moving through conventional banking channels at every stage.
Its use is not established in this case yet. Police are investigating the possibility.
The Patna operation resembles a separate case reported by The420.in in July, when Lucknow Police arrested seven people accused of running a call centre that targeted US citizens by impersonating Microsoft support personnel and American government officials.
That earlier case showed how Indian cybercrime networks can combine English-language training, overseas calling infrastructure and social engineering to target victims thousands of kilometres away.
In Patna, investigators are now trying to determine the number of foreign and Indian victims, identify additional members of the network and establish how money allegedly collected from US citizens travelled back to the accused.
What this means for you: Legitimate technology companies do not unexpectedly require remote access to your computer and then demand urgent payments to repair supposed threats. If someone claiming to be technical support asks you to install software or transfer money, end the call and contact the company through its official website.
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