The Delhi Police on Tuesday said the second phase of Operation CyHawk has delivered a far bigger blow to organised cyber fraud networks than its first edition. Operation CyHawk 2.0, launched about a month after the first phase, focused on dismantling the financial backbone of cybercrime syndicates rather than just targeting individual scammers.
Over the course of the drive, investigators mapped money trails worth Rs 944 crore, arrested or bound down 1,146 individuals under preventive provisions and issued notices to 1,736 suspects. In all, 2,880 people are now facing legal action, police said.
How did Delhi Police do it?
The operation was driven by data-led intelligence. Investigators analysed 4,058 cyber fraud complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. They used advanced analytics to identify repeated transaction patterns, rapid money movement, common beneficiary accounts and recurring intermediaries. This revealed a structured ecosystem which was designed to quickly circulate and conceal stolen funds.
“The focus was not on the visible scammer but on the invisible money network that keeps cybercrime alive,” a senior Delhi Police officer said.
Teams targeted mule account operators, cash collection points, SIM card distributors, digital payment facilitators and virtual number service providers. Several accounts were found processing hundreds of suspicious transactions daily, with links extending to foreign cryptocurrency wallets and offshore channels.
The drive also exposed serious irregularities in SIM card issuance networks and third-party digital payment agents. Thousands of suspicious SIM cards were seized, many allegedly used to bypass KYC norms and operate fraud campaigns anonymously.
Significant achievements of this drive
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations) Rajneesh Gupta said the second drive marked a significant escalation in enforcement. “Legal action has been taken against as many as 2,880 persons which is more 200% than previous Operation CyHawk 1.0, 163% more suspects detained for questioning, increase in resolution of FIR by 125% and linking of National Cyber Reporting Platform (NCRP) complaints by 110%,” he said.
Police said the South East and Central districts emerged as standout performers during the operation. Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Range, Madhur Verma said more than 220 cyber offenders were arrested or bound down in the Central Range alone.
32-member cyber fraud gang busted
One of the major breakthroughs was the busting of a 32-member cyber fraud gang running a fake call centre from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi. According to officers, the group targeted victims living abroad, cheating them by offering bogus technical support and services related to Apple devices and other products.
Underlining the scale of the crackdown, police said teams from the South East district — comprising more than 400 personnel — carried out raids across several states, leading to the arrest of over 140 individuals. Overall, Operation CyHawk involved synchronised action across 10 states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.