Giridih, May 13 : In a startling revelation from Jharkhandâ??s Giridih district, cyber criminals were found operating a sophisticated fraud network from deep inside forest areas to evade police detection. Acting on a tip-off, the Giridih cyber police busted a makeshift 'control room' hidden in the Charanbari and Kothahariya forests under Bengabad police station limits and arrested six accused involved in large-scale cyber fraud.

The operation was carried out under the direction of Giridih SP, Dr Bimal Kumar. According to police, the accused had deliberately chosen dense forest locations as their operational base so they could keep watch on approaching police teams from a distance while carrying out cyber fraud activities undisturbed.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mahendra Kumar Mandal, Krishna Kumar Mandal, Ishwar Mandal, Pankaj Kumar Mandal, Ranjit Kumar Mandal and Aditya Kumar Mandal. Police said the gang had been targeting people across the country using highly sophisticated techniques.

Investigators revealed that the accused used to send fake APK file links to unsuspecting victims through mobile phones. Once the link was opened, the fraudsters allegedly gained complete remote access to the victimâ??s device. Using the compromised phones, they siphoned money from bank accounts within minutes.

During the raid, police recovered 11 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards, and five motorcycles from the spot. The motorcycles were reportedly used to travel to the forest hideouts and transport equipment used in cyber fraud operations.

SP, Dr Bimal Kumar, said several members of the gang are habitual offenders and had previously been jailed in cybercrime cases registered in Delhi and various police stations of Giridih district. After being released from prison, they regrouped and shifted their operations to forest areas to avoid surveillance and arrest.

Police have launched a deeper investigation into the gangâ??s bank accounts, financial transactions and possible links with wider cybercrime networks operating in other states.

/IANS