Enforcement Directorate freezes accounts of cyber criminals on cases registered in Kadapa
The Hindu
‘Attachment whip’ cracked for the first time in Andhra Pradesh on cyber crime.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has ordered freeze of ₹64 crore in several bank accounts involved in cyber crime cases reported from Kadapa district.
According to Kadapa police, this is for the first time that the ED has cracked the whip in Andhra Pradesh on cyber criminals, especially those who had cheated the public in the garb of making easy money and through loan apps. It was in November 2021 that cyber criminals hoodwinked four persons from Kadapa district and usurped funds to the tune of ₹11 crore from their accounts. The Directorate has now acted upon the above accounts and attached the money, which had been diverted and invested in the form of cryptocurrency.
Targeting the netizens eyeing ‘easy money’, a couple of money making apps had sent bulk SMS to the public last year, offering huge commission for investments made in the form of certain tasks. “When some persons received smaller amounts as commission, they gained confidence and started reinvesting large sums, besides referring to their friends. After diverting the customers’ hard-earned money in the form of cryptocurrency, the tricksters used ‘fake screens’ to show huge amounts as balance in their accounts”, Superintendent of Police K. K. N. Anburajan explained to the media on Friday.
The clients found themselves on a sticky wicket after their WhatsApp chats and other details of the app vanished and with no response forthcoming from the other end. Based on their complaints, four cases were booked in Kadapa One Town, Mydukur, Duvvuru and Chapadu police limits involving an amount of ₹11 crore. The police used technology and even arrested two cyber criminals from Tamil Nadu. With similar cases surfacing from other districts to the tune of ₹64 crore, the ED attached all the above accounts.
Mr. Anburajan appreciated the efforts of Circle Inspector T. V. Satyanarayana and staff of the cyber crime and financial frauds cell for taking the cases to a logical end.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”