Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned potential victims against the ‘dangerous game’ of ‘digital arrest’. He said there was no such thing as digital arrest and outlined the modus operandi of fraudsters indulging in such a crime. He, further, advised asked people to ‘stop-think-act and immediately call ‘cyber helpline at ‘1930’.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said a national ‘counter-terrorism policy and strategy’ was being drafted fight terrorism, terrorists, and the entire ecosystem supporting them. He recollected that a 25-point integrated plan was formulated to curb the menace of terrorist financing and several databases were created to root-out terrorism.
The Union Home Ministry (MHA) listed illegal payment gateways that were ‘facilitating money laundering as a service, are used for laundering proceeds of multiple nature of cybercrimes.
Several arrests of Maoist cadres were made in Chhattisgarh, while the first phase of elections to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly passed off peacefully, devoid of any Maoist violence. Interestingly, Maoist presence has been detected in Karnataka after more than a decade, while their sympathisers have been present all these years.
Manipur continues to simmer with bloody clashes between the security forces and militants. The NSCN-IM opposed the abolition of Free Movement Regime that facilitated free movement across India-Myanmar border.
Terrorists continue to indulge in violence in violence in Jammu and Kashmir and hurled a grenade in Srinagar at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bunker that missed the target and caused injuries to 11 civilians.
A meth manufacturing unit was seized in Delhi by the Narcotics Control Bureau, while hydrophilic weed and Ganja were seized in separate incidents in Hyderabad.
PM Cautions against ‘Digital Arrest’[1]
The fraudsters of Digital Arrest phone calls, at times, impersonate as Police, CBI, Narcotics; at times RBI... using such various labels, they converse as fake officers with a lot of confidence. Many listeners of 'Mann Ki Baat' have wished that we must discuss that. Let me tell you, how these fraud gangs work. What is this dangerous game? It is very important for you to understand this and it is equally important for others to understand it as well.
The First Move... They collect all of your personal information... “You went to Goa last month, didn’t you? Your daughter studies in Delhi, right”? They collect so much information about you that you will be surprised.
The Second Move - Create an atmosphere of fear... Uniform, government office set-up, legal sections... they will scare you so much on the phone... In the midst of the conversation, you will not be able to even think.
And then their third move begins, the Third Move - the time pressure. “You have to decide now or else you will be arrested” - these people create so much of psychological pressure on the victim that one gets scared. People from every class and age group fall victim to Digital Arrest. People have lost lakhs of rupees earned through their hard work, out of sheer fear. Whenever you receive such a call, don’t be scared. You should be aware that no investigative agency never inquires like this through a phone call or a video call.
I am enumerating the three steps to Digital Security. These three steps are - 'Stop – Think – Take Action...
If you feel scared, then know that something is wrong. The first step, the second step and now I spell out the third step. In the first step I said - ‘Stop’... in the second step I said - 'Think', and the third step tells you - 'Take action'.
Dial the national cyber helpline 1930, Report on cybercrime.gov.in, inform family and police, preserve evidence. 'Stop', then 'Think', and then take 'Action', these three steps will become the protector of your digital security.
I would also like to urge schools and colleges to involve students in the campaign against cyber scams. We can fight this challenge only with the collective efforts in society.
NIA hosts Anti-Terrorism Conference-2024
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addressed the inaugural session of the two-day 'Anti-Terrorism Conference-2024' organized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi, on November 7, 2024.
The Home Minster also announced that the Ministry of Home Affairs will soon introduce a National Counter-Terrorism Policy & Strategy to fight terrorism, terrorists, and the entire ecosystem supporting them. [2]
Shri Amit Shah said states have their own geographical and constitutional limitations, while terrorism and terrorists have no boundaries... we need to build a strong system through conferences like this. This will help curb activities such as terrorism, narcotics, and hawala operations, which threaten the country’s borders and economy.
Shri Amit Shah noted that on August 2, 2019, amendments were made to the NIA Act, which added new offences and granted extra-territorial jurisdiction, allowing the NIA to conduct investigations abroad as well. He mentioned that on August 14, 2019, amendments were also made to the UAPA, empowering authorities to seize property and designate individuals and organizations as terrorists. He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs has coordinated efforts for deradicalization, various ministries have developed their own strategies, and MHA has established an institutional framework for this purpose.
Home Minister said that in the year 2020, a 25-point integrated plan was formulated to control the funding of terrorism, with a range of measures from jihadi terrorism to northeast, Left-Wing Extremism, fake currency to narcotics... A central database based on intelligence was also created. He added that several databases have been developed, which can benefit efforts to root out terrorism.
HMA Deactivates Six Lakh Mobile Phones
In a major action to tackle cases involving 'digital arrests', the government has so far deactivated around six lakh mobile numbers linked to such crimes, officials said, on November 5, 2024. In addition to these mobile numbers, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has blocked 709 different types of mobile applications. Furthermore, 1,10,000 mobile handsets identified by specific IMEI numbers and connected to cyber fraud have been blacklisted.
Beyond digital devices, cyber security agencies have also frozen approximately 3.25 lakh fake bank accounts implicated in cybercrime, officials confirmed. [3]
MHA ‘advisory’ on Illegal Payments
Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), MHA, has issued an advisory against illegal payment gateways created using mule bank accounts by Transnational Organized Cybercriminals facilitating money laundering as a service. Recent nation-wide raids by Gujarat Police (FIR 0113/2024) and Andhra Pradesh Police (FIR 310/2024) have revealed that trans-national criminals have created illegal digital payment gateways using mule/rented accounts. This illegal infrastructure, facilitating money laundering as a service, are used for laundering proceeds of multiple nature of cybercrimes.
- Current accounts and saving accounts are scouted through social media, majorly from Telegram and Facebook. These accounts belong to shell companies / enterprise or individuals.
- These mule accounts are controlled remotely from overseas.
- An illegal payment gateway is then created using these mule accounts are given to criminal syndicates for accepting deposits on illegal platforms like fake investment scam sites, offshore betting and gambling websites, fake stock trading platforms etc.
- Funds are immediately layered to another account as soon as the crime proceeds are received. Bulk payout facility provided by banks are misused for the same.
Some of the payment gateways identified during operation are: PeacePay, RTX Pay, PoccoPay, RPPay, etc. These gateways are learnt to be providing money laundering as a service and are operated by foreign nationals. [4]
Two Persons Arrested for Cyber Fraud
A media report of November 4, 2024, said Cyberabad Police arrested two persons, while two others were absconding, for their involvement are involved in a financial fraud of Rs. 1.37 crore. The fraudsters impersonated as Mumbai police officials and threatened the victim saying that he is involved in money laundering activities. The fraudsters accused the victim of committing serious crime and coerced him into transferring Rs. 1.37 crore to bank accounts. [5]
Maoists Resurface in Karnataka
Four cadres of the CPI (Maoist) were reportedly sighted in Malnad forests near Koppa and Sringeri, on November 10, 2024. Cases were booked against three persons under various sections of Bhartiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS), Arms Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for providing shelter to the Maoists and some arms and live recovered from them. Prasanna, an activist said encroachment of forest land, non-implementation of Kasturirangan Report could be the reason for Naxal/Maoist activity. [6]
Maoist activities decreased after the killing in an encounter of Saket Rajan, Karnataka State Committee Secretary in February 2005 and an encounter later in the area in October 2007.
19 Maoists Arrested in Chhattisgarh
DRG, COBRA and CRPF personnel, in a joint operation, arrested 19 Maoists in separate operations in Sukma district, Bastar region, Chhattisgarh, police said on October 29, 2024.
According to a statement by Sukma police, 14 Maoists were apprehended from the Jagargunda police station limits, while five were arrested from Bhejji police station limits Security forces also seized three gelatine rods, 300 gm of gunpowder, cordex wire, detonators, electric wire and batteries from the 14 Maoists.
Of the 14 men, three carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh each. They were working with Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM), a proscribed front of the Maoists. [7]
Eight Maoists Arrested in Chhattisgarh
Eight Maoists have been arrested from three different places in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, on October 29, 2024.
According to officials, six Naxal cadres were apprehended from the Chintalnar police station area, while one each was taken into custody from the Konta and Chintagufa police station limits. The arrests were part of a joint operation conducted by District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and CoBRA units. [8]
Intelligence Gaps in J&K
According to a report on October 28, 2024, an investigation into the October 20 terrorist attack in Gagangir, Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has revealed significant intelligence gaps and undetected infiltration along the Line of Control (LoC) over the past year. The attack, which claimed seven lives, including a local doctor and two labourers from Bihar, has raised concerns over an increasing trend of local youths joining militant groups in Kashmir. [9]
Three Terrorists Killed in Akhnoor Sector
Security forces, on October 29, 2024, morning gunned down two terrorists holed up in a forest area near a village in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the number of militants killed in the 27-hour gunfight near the Line of Control (LoC) to three, officials said. The latest encounter in the Jammu region comes amid a surge in terrorist activities in Kashmir where seven attacks have occurred in the past two weeks, resulting in 13 fatalities, including two soldiers. [10]
LeT Commander, Two Terrorists Killed in J&K
On November 2, a ‘commander’ of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), identified as Usman alias Chota Waleed, was killed in a gun battle between security forces and terrorists in Khanyar, Srinagar District. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir V K Birdhi said that in the gunfight, two policemen and two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured, and a large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered. [11] Separately, two terrorists, Zahid Ahmed Reshi and Arbaz Ahmed Mir, were killed in an encounter in Larnoo, Anantnag District.
11 Civilians Injured in Srinagar
Terrorists lobbed a grenade at a CRPF bunker near a crowded flea market in the heart of the city here, on November 3, 2024, injuring at least 11 civilians. The attack, which took place near a heavily guarded complex housing All India Radio and Doordarshan Kendra near the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC), comes a day after security forces eliminated a top Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Khanyar locality, Srinagar. [12]
Terrorists of Kashmir Tigers Kills two VDGs
Terrorists of Kashmir Tigers kidnapped and killed two Village Defence Group (VDG) members in Kishtwar district, on November 7, 2024. So called Kashmir Tigers which is an offshoot of the Jaish-e Mohammad terrorist organisation, claimed the responsibility of the attack. [13]
NSCN-IM Warns to Resume Armed Volent Resistance
Twenty-seven years after agreeing to a ceasefire, the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) has issued an ultimatum to the Union government threatening to “resume the violent armed resistance against India” if the Centre did not “honour” the 2015 Framework Agreement signed by the two parties to resolve the Naga political problem.
In a five-page statement signed by its general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, the insurgent group, which first signed a ceasefire with the Indian government in 1997, said “we rule out peaceful means against the ignominious betrayal of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015”.
An apparent impasse over the question of a separate Naga flag and constitution is one of the sticking points in the negotiation between the NSCN I(M) and Union Government. Although issuing his ultimatum, Muivah suggested that he was still leaving the window open, proposing “third party intervention” as a final step. [14]
NSCN Opposes FMR Abolition
The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) said in a press statement expressed strong opposition to the recent decision by the Union government to abolish the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the India-Myanmar border and commence border fencing.
This FMR agreement, established 56 years ago, allowed indigenous Naga people to move freely across the India-Myanmar border, recognizing historical and familial connections that extend beyond national boundaries.
The NSCN’s Eastern Flank, representing the Naga Army, views the proposed fencing as a divisive tactic by the Union government and an affront to Naga unity. The organization firmly rejects this project and has issued a warning that they will actively oppose it. [15]
Four SOREPA Cadres Held in Manipur
Manipur Police arrested four cadres of Socialist Revolution Party Kangleipak (SOREPA) identified as Hijam Nikhil Singh (27), Hijam Thanglen Meitei (30), Thongam Ningthem Singh (32) and Gobin Elangbam (29) from Urup Mayai Leikai in Imphal East District of Manipur, on November 7, 2024. A self-loading rifle (SLR), one .303 rifle were recovered from them. [16]
11 Militants Killed in Jiribam, Manipur
Eleven Kuki militants and one Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a gun battle, on November 11, 2024, that erupted in an area under Borobekra police station limits, Borobekra Sub-Division, Jiribam District. [17] The Manipur government imposed an indefinite curfew in the entire Jiribam district to prevent potential disturbances and maintain law and order.
Gunbattle in Manipur Village
Village volunteers of Koutruk Ching Leikai village, Lamshang police station limits, Imphal West district, on November 6, 2024, exchanged gunfire with suspected Kuki militants after the latter launched attacks at the village. Sometime later, the volunteers resorted to retaliatory firing. Besides, suspected Kuki militants, on the same day attacked a Meitei village, located 13 km south of Maphou Dam police station, Imphal East district. [18]
Four ULFA-I Cadres Held in Assam
An active cadre of United Liberation Front of Asom – Independent (ULFA-I) identified as Bhaiti Pagag was arrested from Tinsukia District of Assam, on November 9, 2024. On the same day, an active cadre of United Liberation Front of Asom – Independent (ULFA-I) identified as Kulang Moran was arrested from Majuli district. Earlier on November 7, two overground workers (OGWs) of ULFA-I identified as Rintu Nath and Tulsi Gogoi were arrested from Charaideo district. [19]
NCB Busts Meth Manufacturing Unit
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in coordination with the Delhi police Special Cell, on October 25, 2024, has busted a methamphetamine manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar, arrested five persons, and seized about 95 kg of the drugs. The laboratory was allegedly set up by a Delhi-based businessman along with a Tihar Jail warden, and a Mexican cartel member was also part of the syndicate. The NCB is yet to reveal their names.
The agency initially received a tip-off about the illegal laboratory being established in the national capital region (NCR) to produce synthetic drugs like meth for export to other countries as well as consumption in India. Members of the Mexican cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion were also said to be involved.
“This year, the NCB has busted such clandestine labs at five locations namely Gandhinagar and Amreli in Gujarat, Jodhpur and Sirohi in Rajasthan, and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier this month, a lab was busted in a joint operation with Gujarat ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) in Bagroda Industrial Estate of Bhopal, from where about 907 kg of mephedrone in solid and liquid forms and about 7,000 kg of various chemicals along with the machinery were seized”. [20]
Separately, personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF), on October 29, 2024, arrested three narcotics smugglers and seized heroin weighing 530 g. The arrests were made in Amritsar. [21]
Drugs Seizures in Hyderabad
Excise personnel seized 118 kg of Ganja worth Rs 31.50 lakh, on October 29, 2024, in Hyderabad. The contraband had its origin in Kalimela, Odisha. [22] Separately, on October 31, Police in Kumaram Bheem district, Telangana, seized 290 kg ganja worth 72.50 lakh hidden in the container of a truck that was coming from Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. Two other separate seizures of three litres of hash oil were made in Hyderabad, on October 31. [23] In another incident, on November 1, Enforcement Directorate seized 7.096 kg of hydrophilic weed worth Rs 7 crore form two passengers who arrived from Bangkok at Shamsabad airport, Hyderabad.
Endnotes
[1] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2068606
[2] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2071564
[3] https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Nov/05/mha-deactivates-six-lakh-mobile-numbers-to-combat-digital-arrests
[4] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2069000
[5] https://telanganatoday.com/cyberabad-police-arrest-man-in-rs-1-37-cr-digital-arrest-fraud-case
[6] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/resurgence-of-naxal-activity-in-chikkamagaluru-sparks-concern/articleshow/115265614.cms
[7] https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chhattisgarh19-maoists-arrested-by-joint-team-of-security-forces-in-sukma-101730208986343.html
[8] https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/chhattisgarh-8-naxalites-arrested-from-three-places-across-sukma-district/3653183/
[9] https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/kashmir-on-edge-undetected-infiltration-for-last-one-year-endangers-security/
[10] https://www.deccanherald.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir/all-three-terrorists-killed-in-gunfight-in-jammus-akhnoor-sector-following-attack-on-army-convoy-3252836
[11] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/let-commander-among-3-terrorists-killed-in-jammu-and-kashmir/articleshow/114892939.cms
[12] https://www.ptinews.com/story/national/jk-11-injured-in-grenade-attack-in-srinagar/1953711
[13] https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jammu-and-kashmir-news-kishtwar-terrorist-attack-village-defence-guards-killed-kidnap-kashmir-tigers-2630043-2024-11-08
[14] https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ignominious-betrayal-27-yrs-after-ceasefire-nscn-im-threatens-to-resume-armed-resistance-9660692/
[15] https://www.indiatodayne.in/nagaland/story/nagaland-nscn-condemns-indian-governments-abolition-of-fmr-at-india-myanmar-border-1112772-2024-10-29
https://www.indiatodayne.in/manipur/story/manipur-police-raid-leads-to-arrest-of-four-kykl-sorepa-members-two-rescued-1117539-2024-11-08
[17] https://nenow.in/north-east-news/manipur/manipur-11-kuki-militants-one-crpf-jawan-killed-in-fierce-gunfight-in-jiribam.html
[18] https://www.ifp.co.in/manipur/manipur-violence-gun-battle-erupts-in-koutruk
[19] https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/assam-news/assam-4-arrested-as-security-forces-intensify-crackdown-on-ulfa-i-network
[20] https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/ncb-busts-meth-lab-in-joint-operations-with-delhi-police/article68809820.ece`
[21] https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/bsf-apprehends-three-narco-smugglers-with-heroin-in-amritsar20241030203223/
[22] https://hyderabadmail.com/hyderabad-cops-seize-118-kg-ganja-arrest-two/
[23] https://www.eenadu.net/telugu-news/crime/seize-of-ganja-being-transported-in-a-tanker/0300/124196927. (Translated from Eenadu, Hyderabad, a Telugu language news daily.
