Vizag police recover Rs 4.65 crores of 150 cybercrime victims, release money from frozen accounts

Visakhapatnam: In a first-of-its-kind in the State, the Visakhapatnam Police has successfully released Rs 4.65 crores to 150 victims of cybercrime frauds. The amount was so far frozen in the bank accounts of the various accused in the cases.

The police said that the victims who were cheated of their money and lodged complaints through the 1930 helpline of Cyberdost would receive their amount back into their accounts shortly. The highest reported loss was Rs 3 crores with the police helping the victim recover Rs 65 lakhs, said commissioner of police Dr Shankhabrata Bagchi.

13,000 persons lost Rs 100 crores to cybercrimes

The commissioner said that according to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) data, approximately 13,000 victims in Visakhapatnam city alone have lost an astounding Rs 100 crores due to cybercrimes.

Of the Rs 100 crores lost, Rs 18 crores could be linked to other bank accounts used for illegal activity. The release of the Rs 4.65 crore frozen in the bank accounts is part of the first phase of the recovery operation, he said.

Shankhabrata Bagchi also said that a majority are easily tricked by a variety of cybercrimes, such as fraudulent FedEx courier services, stock market investment schemes, fraudulent part-time employment or task game schemes, cryptocurrency scams and phoney calls that purport to be credit card bill payment reminders.

The commissioner stressed that prompt reporting is crucial to recovering money from cybercrimes, especially during the ‘golden hour’ period when the investigation will have the best chances of finding the criminal and recovering the money lost.

He advised victims to use all of the resources at their disposal, including the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and hotline lines including the 1930 number, to get quick assistance in getting their money back.

One of the victims who received her recovered amount said that she had got a message and was asked to click on the link. The message said that she should link her pan card number with the HDFC bank account. "When I did it, I Immediately I got a call from a persons claimed to HDFC bank manager and he asked me to complete the process of linking pan card with the HDFC bank account. I am immediately shutdown the call but I think he got the remote access and he fraudulently withdrew the whole amount of Rs 1 lakh which I had in my bank account. Then I rushed to the cyber crime police station for help. Thanks to Vizag police for recovering my stolen money," she said.