CBI Arrests Key Accused in US$7.21 Million Transnational Cyber Fraud Case:

In a transnational cyber-enabled financial fraud case involving illegal call centres that allegedly targeted US nationals, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a key accused. The case was registered by the CBI on September 8, 2026, against the accused and other unknown persons.

According to the CBI, the fraud syndicate had allegedly been operating illegal call centres from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, since 2024. The accused persons allegedly worked together and impersonated officials of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the US Attorney’s Office, the Critical Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other federal agencies.

Through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, the accused allegedly told victims that their identities had been misused to access child pornography through their computer systems. They then allegedly pressured the victims to withdraw money from their bank accounts, purchase gold and hand it over to couriers working for the syndicate in the US.

The victims were allegedly defrauded of more than US$7.21 million through the scheme. A search operation was conducted by the CBI at multiple locations in Ahmedabad linked to the accused following registration of the case. During the searches, electronic devices containing digital evidence were confiscated.

The CBI stated that the arrested accused played a key role in establishing and operating the illegal call centre. The arrest took place on September 23, 2026. The investigation in the present is ongoing.