20 arrested, 10 cybercrime cases solved in Cyberabad’s all-India operation against online fraud

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Cybercrime Police have detected 10 cybercrime cases and arrested 20 offenders across various states between October 22 and 28, as part of an ongoing crackdown on cyber fraud networks operating across India.

Surge in trading-related fraud

According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crimes, Cyberabad), the arrests were made in connection with several categories of online fraud, including trading scams, digital wallet manipulation and online ticket booking frauds.

Out of the total arrests, 14 were linked to trading-related fraud, indicating a surge in investment-based online scams.

The police also seized 24 mobile phones and 19 SIM cards used for fraudulent transactions and online communication.

Rs 3 crore online ticket booking and wallet fraud

The most significant case of the week involved the detection of a Rs 3 crore fraud targeting a reputed travel company’s online ticket booking and wallet platform.

The company had reported discrepancies between tickets booked and actual revenue from May to July, prompting an internal audit that exposed a major technical manipulation in the digital wallet refund system.

Explaining the method used, police officials said the accused exploited a software error that refunded both the original payment and the cancellation refund, thereby doubling the wallet balance.

“They recharged the wallet, booked tickets, cancelled them immediately, and then received both the refund and the original amount back. This was repeated multiple times to create inflated wallet balances,” the statement read.

The offenders then used these inflated balances to make bookings for genuine customers, collecting money directly into their personal bank accounts, leading to a total loss of Rs 3,00,91,683 for the company.

Five accused arrested

In connection with the case, the following five individuals have been arrested:

1. Chennupati Sivannarayana

2. Kadali Narayana Swamy

3. Anugula Rajkumar

4. Jadda Brahmaiah

5. Pericherla Varma

Police said the investigation revealed that the accused coordinated across different states, using multiple SIM cards and devices to carry out transactions and conceal their digital footprint.

Advisory to businesses and public

Issuing an advisory, the Cyberabad Police urged businesses and citizens to conduct regular audits of their online payment systems and to tighten internal access controls.

“Organisations dealing with high-volume digital transactions must ensure that refund, wallet, and cancellation systems are routinely checked for vulnerabilities,” the DCP Cyber Crimes, Cyberabad, stated.

He further added, “Citizens and firms should immediately report any suspicious activity to the National Cybercrime Helpline (1930) or through the portal www.cybercrime.gov.in. Early reporting greatly helps in tracking the money trail and recovering funds.”

The police have asked the public to stay alert against online fraud schemes and follow updates on the Cyberabad Police’s official communication channels.