UP STF arrests 379 cybercriminals in ongoing campaign to dismantle fraud networks

Over the past seven and a half years, the Uttar Pradesh government has taken significant steps to combat cybercrime and protect the hard-earned money of the state’s residents.

Key initiatives include the establishment of 18 regional cybercrime police stations, digital forensic laboratories and cyber helpdesks in every police station in the state.

On the orders of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Special Task Force (STF) has taken decisive action against cyber criminals. This has resulted in the arrest of 379 persons linked to various cyber criminal activities.

Significantly, the STF arrested a gang of 16 cyber criminals who were responsible for cheating an associate professor of SGPGI of around Rs 2 crores. These arrests were made from Lucknow and Gautam Buddha Nagar.

The deployment of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) to dismantle major cybercriminal networks and gangs is one of the major initiatives of the state government.

Due to these efforts, the number of cybercrime cases in Uttar Pradesh has reduced significantly in the last seven and a half years.

The UPSTF has launched a sustained campaign to arrest cybercriminals. This initiative has led to the exposure of numerous gangs engaged in fraudulent activities including making cloned cheques, operating fake telephone exchanges and executing bogus insurance schemes.

In total, the STF arrested 379 cybercriminals during this period and seized a significant amount of equipment, including computers, laptops, walkie-talkies, mobile phones, SIM cards and cash.

The STF dismantled one of the largest online fraud gangs in the state, arrested 105 members and seized around 200,000 data points from major companies such as Reliance Future, Exide, Birla Sun Life, Max Life, PNB Met Life, HDFC Agro, Paytm Online Shopping, Shyclues and Flipkart, which were used to facilitate their fraudulent activities.

Special Task Force (STF) Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Singh on Sunday announced that a massive drive is underway across Uttar Pradesh to nab cybercriminals.

In the last seven and a half years, this initiative has led to the arrest of a large number of offenders. Gautam Buddha Nagar, Lucknow and Ghaziabad were the focal points of these operations.

In Gautam Buddha Nagar alone, 225 major cyber criminals have been arrested, followed by 116 in Lucknow and 9 in Ghaziabad.

The campaign has also resulted in the arrests of five cyber fraudsters from Prayagraj, Agra and Delhi, and one criminal each from Pratapgarh, Jaunpur and Kanpur Nagar. Four cyber criminals were nabbed from Fatehpur and Gorakhpur, and three others were arrested from Rajasthan.

The STF has also unearthed multiple fraud cases linked to a cybercriminal from Bihar. He was brought to Uttar Pradesh on remand in connection with an online fraud case in Varanasi.