Assam arrest exposes China-linked cybercrime network behind 1,090 frauds, Rs 1,071 crore trail

The Gujarat Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested a 25-year-old man from Assam for his alleged role in 1,090 cybercrime cases involving Rs 1,071.5 crore across India. The accused, identified as Rafiqul Alam, was apprehended in Barpeta, Assam, after a technical probe into an international cybercrime network, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the CID’s Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCE) in Gandhinagar, Alam is suspected of laundering money obtained through cyber frauds, including “digital arrest” scams. In such scams, victims are virtually detained under false pretense and coerced into transferring money. The funds were allegedly routed through thousands of bank accounts, broken into smaller transactions, and subsequently converted into cryptocurrency before being sent to China-based handlers.

Investigators said Alam transferred tainted money through 1,754 bank accounts across India. The CCE noted that large sums were split into smaller amounts within an hour to evade the attention of financial surveillance agencies. Police separately said the trail was traced to 1,758 accounts.

“The money received by the accused through digital arrest or cyber frauds was split and transferred to 1,754 bank accounts across India within an hour by converting large amounts into small amounts,” the CCE said in a statement.

Alam is also suspected of maintaining direct communication with China-based criminals via WhatsApp and Telegram. Investigators said financial data, including scanner credentials, user IDs, passwords, crypto wallet details, and modus operandi, were exchanged through these platforms.

The CCE recovered 23 cryptocurrency wallets from Alam’s mobile phones, through which approximately Rs 16 crore had been transacted. This, according to the agency, established a link between cryptocurrency transactions and a China-based gang. Investigators also found evidence of alleged illegal crypto trading conducted through the “chip seller” app.

The arrest followed a three-day surveillance operation. “Based on technical analysis and the victims' statements, a team from CCE visited Barpeta city and conducted a three-day recce of the house of the main money launderer in disguise and arrested him along with his technical gadgets,” the CCE said.

The agency has described Alam as the alleged mastermind of an international gang. “The accused has been involved in a total of 1,090 cyber crimes across the country amounting to Rs 1,071.5 crore. His mobile phones also had gaming account transactions,” the Gujarat police unit said.

This arrest highlights the growing sophistication of cybercrime networks that use multiple layers of banking and cryptocurrency to obscure financial trails. Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant against digital arrest scams, where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials and demand money under threat of legal action.

The investigation is ongoing, and further details regarding additional suspects and the international network are expected as authorities continue to analyse the digital evidence recovered from Alam.