Cyber Crime
Mumbai Police Bust Data Theft, Hunt Mastermind Behind Insurance Scam
Mumbai police have launched an extensive investigation into a significant data theft incident targeting one of India’s top life insurance companies. Cybercriminals gained unauthorized access to sensitive customer information and threatened to leak the data unless a ransom was paid.
The cybercrime unit arrested a 28-year-old interior designer, Divesh Kumar Dutta, from Haryana. However, the alleged mastermind, identified as “Robert,” is believed to be operating from Cambodia and remains at large.
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The Threats Begin
The ordeal began when the insurance company received a chilling email from an unidentified sender. The message warned, “A large amount of your customer data has been leaked. If I don’t receive any negotiation topics by tomorrow, I will sell the data. The consequences will be yours to bear.”
To back up the claim, the email included a sample attachment with details of 99 policyholders. The following day, the company received another email, this time addressed to senior officials and multiple accounts. It read, “Warning again! Negotiation will prevent losses worth hundreds of billions of rupees in customer data leakage, reputation, stock market impact, and regulatory scrutiny.”
Attempts to Negotiate
In a bid to mitigate the crisis, company officials decided to engage with the sender, sharing a contact number. On November 21, they received similar threats via WhatsApp. Realizing the severity of the breach, the company’s legal team filed a complaint with the Mumbai Cyber Police.
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The Arrest and Investigation
The company’s IT team conducted an internal probe and identified a policyholder whose account was used to access the leaked data. The investigation revealed that Dutta had purchased a policy worth ₹1,000 to gain access to the company’s online portal. Using his account, he illegally downloaded confidential data, which was allegedly sold on the dark web.
“Dutta confessed during interrogation that he was instructed by a person named Robert, believed to be in Cambodia, to purchase the policy and extract the data,” an officer disclosed.
Ongoing Search for the Mastermind
While Dutta is in custody, the police are intensifying efforts to track down Robert, who is suspected of orchestrating the data theft. The breach has caused substantial financial and reputational damage to the company.
The insurance firm has declined to comment on the incident, citing the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Cyber Police continue to unravel the complexities of this transnational cybercrime.
This case highlights the growing threat of data breaches and the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures in the digital age.
