New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS): The Mewat region, spanning Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, has emerged as the new hotbed of cybercriminals in 2023, following in the footsteps of Jamtara.

With satellite towns and villages becoming breeding grounds for scams, the Mewat cyber thugs have introduced sextortion as their latest modus operandi, posing a unique challenge for law enforcement agencies.

In contrast to organised phishing industries seen in other parts of the country, Mewat's cybercrime operations are characterised by an unstructured cottage industry.

The absence of kingpins has turned this into a leaderless crime racket, where a smartphone and a SIM card are the only tools needed to initiate scams and blackmail.

The Delhi Police is now closely monitoring the activities of young scammers operating from Mewat, as reported cases indicate a rising trend of cyber cheats originating from the region.

The scammers not only engage in sextortion but also exploit online marketplaces like OLX to deceive victims, either physically or virtually.

Unlike their counterparts in Kolkata's phishing industry, Mewat scammers adopt a different approach.

“Truck drivers, native to the region, play a significant role in making suspicious phone calls from nondescript highways using fake SIM cards. Their ability to switch between English and Hindi during scams makes it challenging to track and apprehend them,” said a senior police official.

Reports suggest that approximately 300-400 individuals fall victim to these scams daily, with each fraudster earning up to Rs 3,000. The three districts within Mewat collectively report over 8,000 cybercrimes, resulting in financial losses ranging from Rs 1.6 to Rs 2.4 crore.

In November, a 22-year-old man was apprehended for posing as a police officer, defrauding senior citizens by displaying explicit videos of young women via WhatsApp calls, and subsequently extorting the victims by capturing screenshots of their mobile screens.

The accused was identified as Rizwan, a resident of Deeg district in Rajasthan. He used to pose as Vikram Rathore, ACP in the Crime Branch.

It is worth mentioning here that Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar had played a role as ACP Vikram Rathore in the movie “Rowdy Rathore” and the name is being frequently used by the cyber cheats to dupe people.

According to the police, on July 18, a case was registered based on the complaint of T. Aggarwal, who alleged that he received an unknown WhatsApp video call featuring an undressed girl, during which a screenshot was taken, capturing the complainant's face.

Shortly afterward, he received calls from two different numbers, with the callers claiming to be from Cyber Crime Delhi and asserting that the alleged screenshot was on the verge of being circulated.

They proceeded to threaten the victim, demanding a substantial sum of money; otherwise, the video would be made public, and he would face arrest. Additionally, the alleged individuals sent the victim an image of a deceased girl and a police warrant via WhatsApp.

Frightened by the threats, the complainant transferred approximately Rs 12,80,000 to the bank account provided by the fraudster.

In yet another case, the Delhi Police this year had also arrested a 55-year-old cyber fraudster for allegedly posing as an army personnel and duping a wire manufacturer on the pretext of purchasing wires for a school.

The accused was identified as Ali Mohammad, resident of Nuh district in Haryana.

The official said that so far, a total of 15 complaints from various states have been identified which are linked to the accused and a further money trail of more than Rs 22 lakhs has been found.

The arrest came after a complaint was received by the police on June 10 from one Ankit Garg, a resident of Shahdara area where he, who does wire manufacturing work, alleged that he got a call from an Army officer, who required wires for the Army School.

The National Crime Record Bureau's recent data for 2022 reveals a concerning surge in cybercrimes across the country, with a 24.4% increase compared to the previous year.

Fraud accounts for the majority of cases at 64.8%, emphasising the urgent need for strengthened cybersecurity measures and increased public awareness to combat the growing threat of cybercriminal activities in India.

As 2024 approaches, the question looms whether Mewat will continue to be the epicentre of cybercrime or if concerted efforts can curb this rising menace.