A coordinated international operation has uncovered a large cyber fraud racket in India that used fake online portals to promise Kuwaiti e-visas and high-paying jobs in major companies.
The operation, carried out under a global drive called Operation CyStrike, led to raids at 35 locations across Delhi and 9 Indian states. A key cyber fraud operative was arrested, officials said on Monday.
The action was led by the Central Bureau of Investigation with support from law enforcement agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Ireland and Singapore, along with Interpol.
Investigators said the accused ran fake digital platforms posing as official Kuwaiti e-visa services and overseas job providers. Indian nationals were targeted and charged large sums of money for forged visas and fake employment appointments.
India has seen a steady rise in cross-border cyber financial crimes in recent years. Fraud groups now use fake websites, digital payments and forged documents to cheat victims. These networks often pretend to be visa agents, foreign recruiters, investment platforms or government portals.
Officials said such rackets use mule bank accounts to move money across borders, making tracking difficult. Servers and victims are spread across several countries, while operations run from multiple Indian states.
One fake domain, eservicemoi-kw.com, was found hosting forged visa documents and false job offers.
Raids conducted on January 30 took place in Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana and West Bengal. Several cyber fraud groups operating under fake identities were dismantled.
In New Delhi, the agency arrested Pfokrehrii Peter, identified as a key operative. Investigators also uncovered another network targeting victims in the United States.
Authorities seized laptops, mobile phones and computer hard disks containing fake Kuwaiti e-visas and forged job appointment letters. Cash worth Rs 60 lakh was recovered from one accused.
Further probes revealed similar fraud rings operating against victims in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Singapore. Mule bank accounts used to transfer money from overseas victims were identified and shut down.
Officials described Operation CyStrike as a joint international effort to break organised, technology-driven crime syndicates and said it had caused major disruption to transnational cyber fraud networks.
Authorities advised job seekers and visa applicants to rely only on official government websites and verified recruitment agencies. They warned against clicking unknown links, paying in advance for visas or jobs, and sharing documents with unverified sources. People were also urged to carefully check domain names and report suspicious platforms to cybercrime authorities.
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