First in India : Azamgarh police register 24 criminals as a cyber crime Gang

You must have heard about gangs of dacoits, robbers, kidnappers, snatchers or extortionists but for the first time in the country, Azamgarh police have registered 24 miscreants as a part of a cyber crime gang. The move aims at keeping a check on rising cases of digital frauds as these criminals were repeated offenders and have duped thousands of people across the country.
According to the police, the gang members were involved in cases like ATM fraud, card cloning, insurance and job-related cheating and other cases of cyber crimes. By registering them as a cyber crime gang, now police will keep tracking their movement, maintain their criminal history and even auction their property if needed.
The leader of the gang Naveen Gautam has gone to jail 14 times and each time he comes out he again starts duping people using new modus-operandi. Explaining the need of registering a cyber crime gang, Azamgargh SP Triveni Singh said, “A gang is registered so that its members, their associates, relatives and houses are identified and they can be tracked. Their past crime cases can be tracked, which can help in further investigation. They can be booked under stringent sections and their properties and assets can be auctioned to recover the loses.”
The move came after Azamgarh police arrested five criminals who disclosed that about 24 youths, mostly educated, from Azamgarh and Jaunpur districts, are involved in cyber crime cases. The gang members are active across the state and have targeted gullible people across the country.
After registering this gang as cybercriminals it would get difficult for the gang to operate. The move has been appreciated by leading cyber experts and other state police as the cases of cybercrime is on a constant rise.
“It is a great move. I would suggest other law enforcement agencies to identify such gangs and its members and start registering them. This will not only help in curbing the rising cases of digital crime but will help police in further investigation,” said cybercrime expert Amit Dubey, founder of Root64, a non-profit foundation.
Interesting cases of digital fraud saw a sharp rise during the lockdown period of coronavirus.