Raids across Delhi, 9 states at 35 locations: CBI busts fake Kuwait e-visa racket run from India
Global crackdown exposes fake visa portals, overseas job scams and cyber fraud rings
Dubai: A fake online racket promising Kuwaiti e-visas and lucrative job appointments in leading companies has been busted by India’s federal probe agency after a sweeping multinational crackdown on transnational cybercrime networks.
The operation, carried out under a global drive named CyStrike, led to the arrest of a key cyber fraud operative and raids at 35 locations across Delhi and nine other Indian states, officials said on Monday.
The action was led by the Central Bureau of Investigation in coordination with law enforcement agencies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Ireland and Singapore, along with Interpol.
Investigators said the accused were operating fake digital platforms under the guise of providing Kuwaiti e-Visas and arranging employment appointments in top companies in Kuwait, targeting Indian nationals in exchange for large sums of money.
Rise of transnational cyber fraud networks
India has seen a sharp rise in cyber-enabled financial crimes in recent years, with fraudsters increasingly operating across borders using fake websites, digital payment channels and forged documents.
Officials say such networks often pose as visa service providers, overseas job recruiters, investment platforms or government portals to lure victims into transferring money.
Many of these rackets use mule bank accounts to route funds internationally, making detection harder. The operations typically involve multiple locations across Indian states, with servers and victims spread across different countries.
Indian agencies have stepped up cooperation with foreign law enforcement bodies and Interpol to crack down on these syndicates, which now frequently target victims in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Authorities warn that job-seekers and visa applicants are among the most vulnerable groups, urging people to verify official websites and avoid making payments through unofficial channels.
One such fraudulent domain — eservicemoi-kw.com — was found to host fake visa documents and bogus job offers designed to dupe victims.
During raids conducted on January 30 across Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana and West Bengal, officials dismantled multiple cyber-enabled financial crime networks run under pseudonymous identities.
In New Delhi, the agency arrested key operative Pfokrehrii Peter while uncovering another network that had been targeting victims in the United States.
Authorities seized laptops, mobile phones and computer hard disks containing incriminating digital evidence, including forged Kuwaiti e-visas and fake employment appointment letters. A cash haul of Rs 60 lakh was also recovered from one of the accused.
Further investigations revealed similar fraud rings targeting victims in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Singapore. Officials said mule bank accounts used to funnel money from overseas victims to the accused were identified and shut down.
An official described Operation CyStrike as a coordinated international effort to dismantle organised technology-driven crime syndicates, adding that the crackdown had caused significant disruption to major transnational cyber fraud networks.
Officials advised job seekers and visa applicants to use only official government websites and verified recruitment agencies.
They warn against clicking unknown links, making advance payments for visas or overseas jobs, or sharing personal documents with unverified sources.
People are also urged to cross-check domain names carefully, avoid offers that promise quick approvals or guaranteed employment, and report suspicious platforms to cybercrime authorities immediately.
-- With IANS inputs
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