New Delhi | Business Desk: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended Dwibendu Moharana, the alleged mastermind behind a sophisticated cyber fraud operation targeting Japanese citizens through fake customer service calls. Moharana, who had been absconding since May 2025, was arrested on Thursday at Bhubaneswar airport upon his return from the UAE.
Officials said Moharana orchestrated operations at a Noida-based call centre, VoIP Connect Pvt Ltd, which impersonated technical support executives of reputed multinational companies to extort money from unsuspecting victims abroad. Victims were allegedly deceived into believing their systems were compromised and coerced into transferring funds as “support charges.”
Moharana’s name had first surfaced during a CBI raid on May 28, 2025, across 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The operation resulted in the arrest of six operatives, but Moharana and his associates fled the country shortly thereafter.
“Moharana’s network employed sophisticated social engineering techniques and deception to target Japanese citizens. Victims were misled into transferring funds under the pretext of technical support,” said a senior CBI official.
Operation Chakra-V and the Arrest
The arrest forms part of Operation Chakra-V, an ongoing crackdown on global cybercrime networks. Following his detention, Moharana was brought to Delhi on a transit warrant and produced before a special CBI court, which remanded him in police custody for three days to facilitate interrogation.
So far, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, and charges have been filed against all of them. Authorities said Moharana’s capture delivers a significant blow to the syndicate’s international operations.
International Collaboration and Technical Support
CBI officials noted that the operation was executed in close coordination with Japan’s National Police Agency and Microsoft Corporation. The collaboration provided critical technical inputs that helped map the fraudulent call patterns and financial trails.
“This arrest marks a major milestone in our fight against international cybercrime. Identifying and apprehending masterminds like Moharana provides relief to global victims,” said a CBI officer.
The case underscores the increasing sophistication of cyber fraud networks operating across borders and highlights the importance of coordinated international law enforcement and technological cooperation in tackling digital crime.
