Delhi Police arrested 944 people and registered 1,032 cases during a two-day cybercrime crackdown under Operation CyHawk 6.0, with the cases linked to 4,002 complaints involving an alleged fraud amount of about ₹479.14 crore, officials said.
The sixth edition of the operation was conducted on October 28 and 29 across all 15 police districts of Delhi, along with the Crime Branch Cyber unit and the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit.
Police said 788 people were also bound down and notices were served on another 2,081, taking the total number of people dealt with during the operation to 3,813. As many as 4,979 suspects were detained or rounded up for verification across the national capital.
283 Police Teams Conduct Raids Across Multiple States
Delhi Police deployed 283 teams to at least 17 states and five Union Territories as part of the operation.
Officials said the teams targeted organised cybercrime networks involved in supplying mule bank accounts, fraudulent SIM cards, illegal call centres and channels used to move proceeds through cash and cryptocurrency.
Police registered 596 fresh FIRs and took action in 432 older cases, along with four Kalandras.
Of the 4,002 cybercrime complaints worked out during the operation, 727 originated in Delhi while 3,275 came from other states and Union Territories.
The alleged cheated amount linked to these complaints was estimated at ₹479.14 crore.
Police recovered 1,037 mobile phones, 1,301 SIM cards, 106 laptops and computers, 397 ATM cards, more than 244 bank kits and passbooks, 325 Aadhaar cards, six SIM boxes, 11 cars and 10 two-wheelers.
Officials also seized ₹37.67 lakh in cash, along with gold and cryptocurrency.
Mule Accounts, SIM Networks and Illegal Call Centres Targeted
Police said the operation was designed to dismantle the infrastructure supporting cyber fraud rather than focus only on people directly making fraudulent calls.
Investigators targeted account suppliers, bank insiders, SIM card providers, call centre operators and individuals allegedly involved in moving proceeds of crime.
Major cases included a Jamtara-linked credit card syndicate operating from Dhanbad, a matrimonial fraud gang in Durg-Bhilai, mule-account suppliers in Kanpur and Greater Noida, and account facilitators operating from Mumbai, Lucknow, Rajasthan and Punjab.
Several districts uncovered networks in which fake firms were allegedly created to open current accounts that were later supplied to cyber fraudsters in exchange for commissions.
In the North-West District, police arrested bank officials allegedly involved in facilitating mule accounts. South District police acted against service-agency insiders suspected of misusing customer data.
Outer-North District police also busted a network allegedly involved in obtaining SIM cards fraudulently in other people’s names.
Police said the cases covered multiple forms of cybercrime, including fake KYC calls, phishing messages, fraudulent mobile applications, online shopping scams, investment frauds, matrimonial scams, loan-app sextortion and impersonation of corporate executives and government officials.
CyHawk 6.0 Marks Wider Crackdown on Cyber Fraud Infrastructure
Delhi Police also dismantled illegal call centres operating from Dwarka, South-West and East districts.
One call centre busted by East District police was allegedly being operated from a moving vehicle in an effort to evade location tracking.
The IFSO unit seized SIM boxes allegedly used for bulk fraudulent calls and acted against fraudulent investment links and Telegram channels dealing in cryptocurrency, eSIMs and bank accounts.
The operation used inputs from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the Samanvaya and Pratibimb portals to identify suspicious bank accounts, mobile numbers and cybercrime hotspots.
Police said fresh FIR registrations during CyHawk 6.0 increased by about 24 per cent compared with the previous edition held on June 16 and 17.
The number of complaints worked out rose by around 46 per cent, while action on complaints originating outside Delhi increased by approximately 57 per cent.
With CyHawk 6.0, the total number of arrests across all six editions of the operation has crossed 3,300.
Investigations are continuing to trace the money trail, identify handlers operating from abroad, attach proceeds of crime and recover funds lost by victims.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
