Delhi: Over 2,500 cyber fraudsters face action under ‘Operation CyHawk 3.0’

The Delhi Police has carried out a large-scale, intelligence-led enforcement drive against cyber fraud networks across multiple states under ‘Operation CyHawk 3.0’, taking action against 2,563 persons and linking fraud cases involving more than Rs 627 crore, an official said on Saturday.

The coordinated operation, conducted on Thursday and Friday, involved simultaneous actions across Delhi and more than 10 states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Kerala, with participation of over 5,000 police personnel, he said.

Police said 6,552 people were rounded up for questioning during the operation, while 955 accused were arrested or bound down and 1,608 notices were issued under relevant legal provisions.

A total of 299 new FIRs were registered and 262 earlier cases were linked during the drive, they said.

The operation targeted mule bank account operators, SIM-linked facilitators, digital intermediaries and financial conduits allegedly used in cyber frauds such as investment scams, job frauds and other online financial crimes, the police said.

During the crackdown, police seized large quantities of digital devices, SIM cards, cash, gold and other precious metals, besides identifying cryptocurrency proceeds linked to fraud cases.

Several major interstate rackets were unearthed during the operation. In one case, police recovered Rs 22 lakh in cash, foreign currency and gold and silver jewellery weighing over 1.8 kg, while another case involved dismantling an investment fraud network that allegedly routed over Rs 9.28 crore through mule accounts and was linked to 84 cyber complaints.

In a separate operation, accused persons were traced in Assam and Tawang, leading to the seizure of multiple mobile devices and freezing of cryptocurrency worth around Rs 30 lakh, police said.

Delhi Commissioner of Police Satish Golchha said Operation CyHawk represents a sustained strategy to disrupt the organised ecosystem supporting cyber fraud by targeting its financial and digital infrastructure.

The police said the intelligence and evidence gathered during the operation are being analysed for further action, and follow-up investigations are underway to identify additional members of the fraud networks.