India’s Biggest Cyber Fraud Crackdown ‘Operation CyHawk’: ₹944 Crore Traced in 48-Hour Nationwide Raid Across 10 States

In one of India’s largest coordinated anti-cybercrime actions, the Delhi Police Cyber Unit traced ₹944 crore during a 48-hour nationwide crackdown, dismantling the financial infrastructure behind organised digital fraud. The mission, codenamed “Operation CyHawk,” spanned 10 states and involved over 5,000 officers and cyber investigators.

4,058 Cyber Complaints Formed the Blueprint

The operation was intelligence-driven, analysing 4,058 cyber fraud complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Advanced analytics identified:

• Repeated transaction patterns
• High-velocity money movement
• Common beneficiary accounts
• Recurring intermediaries

This approach allowed investigators to map the hidden financial ecosystem sustaining large-scale cybercrime. A senior officer said, “The focus was not on the visible scammer, but on the invisible money network that keeps cybercrime alive.”

Simultaneous Raids Across 10 States

Raids were conducted across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam. Teams targeted:

• Mule account operators
• Cash collection points
• SIM card distributors
• Digital payment facilitators
• Virtual number service providers

Several accounts were processing hundreds of suspicious transactions daily, with connections to foreign cryptocurrency wallets and offshore channels.

Tracing ₹944 Crore

Using AI-based transaction analysis, banking intelligence, and fintech data, authorities traced the flow of ₹944 crore. Key findings included:

• Extensive use of mule accounts in the names of students, labourers, and rural residents
• Rapid layering of funds across multiple accounts
• Conversion into cryptocurrency to evade detection
• Links to foreign cyber syndicates in Southeast Asia and beyond

A senior official described cybercrime as “industrial-scale financial crime”, emphasizing the need to disrupt its economic backbone.

SIM Networks and Digital Intermediaries Under Scanner

Investigators seized thousands of suspicious SIM cards and scrutinized virtual number servers and third-party payment agents, revealing how anonymity and lax KYC norms facilitated fraud. Several intermediaries are now under regulatory and criminal review.

Towards a Permanent National Anti-Fraud Framework

Authorities plan to institutionalize the Operation CyHawk model via a Financial Data Fusion Centre, enabling real-time coordination among banks, fintech firms, payment wallets, telecom operators, and law enforcement agencies.

A senior officer noted, “Cyber fraud is no longer just a technological offence. It is economic warfare. And this operation struck at its financial nerve.”