Noida: Police said on Wednesday that it had thwarted a series of high-value cyber frauds by identifying seven “live victims” across five states — individuals who were moments away from losing crores to elaborate online investment scams.
The operation, led by the Noida Cyber Crime Unit under police commissioner Laxmi Singh, marked a significant shift in policing strategy: rather than waiting for complaints, officers reached out directly to victims as scams unfolded.
“The unique aspect of this operation is that our team did not wait for complaints to come in,” a police spokesperson said. “Instead, we reached out to people who were being cheated in real time.”
Acting on financial intelligence inputs, the unit worked across Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Telangana, Odisha, and Rajasthan, intercepting transactions before the fraudsters could siphon funds.
Tracking the Digital Trail
The initiative was spearheaded by cyber commando Sachin Dhama and his team, who collaborated with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to track suspicious financial patterns. Using interlinked transaction data, the team flagged accounts tied to social media-based financial groups and fake trading platforms that promised abnormally high returns.
“These operations show that with proactive intelligence and coordination, cyber fraudsters can be intercepted before they cause damage,” said Shavya Goyal, additional deputy commissioner of police (cyber).
Once potential victims were identified, the Noida team contacted them directly. Officers persuaded several individuals to halt further transfers, freezing linked bank accounts before the money could be withdrawn.
When Awareness Fails
Among the seven cases intercepted, two stood out. In one, a bank employee from Uttar Pradesh transferred ₹14 lakh to a fraudulent trading group posing as a legitimate investment firm. Despite being financially literate, he was deceived by fabricated dashboards and fake customer support networks.
“This case shows that even educated individuals can fall prey to well-orchestrated investment frauds,” an officer from the cyber unit said.
In another instance, a Tamil Nadu resident, who neither spoke Hindi nor English, was found to have already invested ₹40 lakh in a similar fraud. The Noida team coordinated with Tamil Nadu Police to explain the scam in his native language, convincing him to stop future transactions.
Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna commended the cyber team’s intervention, describing the initiative as “a new benchmark for digital-era policing.”
Policing in the Age of Algorithms
The operation’s success has sparked broader discussion about technology-driven, preventive policing. Commissioner Singh called it “a model of preventive cyber policing” that should be replicated across districts.
The DGP noted that effective policing now depends on “a combination of technology, analytics, and empathy.” Officials said the Noida operation relied heavily on AI-assisted transaction analysis — scanning suspicious payment chains and social media activity to detect potential victims.
Police have since issued public advisories urging citizens to beware of online investment offers, especially those circulated via WhatsApp or Telegram promising extraordinary returns. Citizens are being asked to verify links and report suspicious groups through the 1930 cyber helpline or www.cybercrime.gov.in portal.
“Awareness and timely reporting can save lakhs,” said a senior officer. “But operations like this show what’s possible when technology and human judgment work together.”
