Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Busts International VoIP Fraud Syndicate Two Key Accused Arrested

In a major breakthrough, the Cyber Crime Branch of Ahmedabad City Police has apprehended two key members of a Chinese-led international cybercrime gang involved in VoIP-based fraud targeting Indian citizens. The gang operated through a sophisticated network of servers and used fake identities to impersonate Indian government officials, primarily from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

 

How the Fraud Worked

The gang made VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls from countries like Thailand, Malaysia, China, Iran, Iraq, and Hong Kong. These calls were routed through servers rented in Germany and then redirected through servers installed in Ahmedabad, making it appear as though the calls originated from Indian phone numbers.
Victims were threatened with statements like, “Your SIM card will be blocked within 2 hours,” or falsely informed that they were under "digital arrest." Using such fear tactics, the fraudsters lured victims into sharing personal and financial information, which was then used in various cyber scams including investment fraud.

Investigation and Arrest

Following the instructions of Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Shri G.S. Malik and under the supervision of the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime Branch), a detailed investigation was launched.

Based on credible intelligence received from ATS Gujarat, a complaint was registered by Police Sub-Inspector C.H. Rabari at the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station. A team led by Police Inspector J.P. Thakor conducted a raid at Datafirst DC, 9th Floor, Cambay Grand, Off Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, Thaltej, Ahmedabad, where they found three servers being used for illegal VoIP activities by a company named SET SQUARE LEARNING SOLUTION PVT LTD.

Two key accused were arrested:

1. Lovekesh Kumar, S/O Ramesh Kumar Wadhwa, age 49, resident of New Moti Nagar, New Delhi.
2. Anurag Gupta, S/O Kamal Gupta, age 44, resident of GMS Road, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Both accused were previously arrested in similar cybercrime cases and were out on bail.

Modus Operandi

• Step 1: Rent a server in Germany.
• Step 2: Setup a second server in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, using 500 Sessions SIP line connections via mobile numbers (Pilot No. 7971812475, DID Range: 7971812475-7971813974).
• Step 3: Route international VoIP calls through the German server to the Ahmedabad server.
• Step 4: Display Indian caller ID to make the calls appear authentic.
• Step 5: Impersonate TRAI officials and threaten victims.
• Step 6: Engage in scams like digital arrest and investment fraud.

The gang was supported by Cindy Wang, a Chinese national working for companies QUICK COM and SNOW FLY ONLINE, based in Hong Kong. She collaborated with the Indian accused to facilitate the technical setup and operations.

Role of the Accused

Lovekesh Kumar

• Formed the company SET SQUARE LEARNING SOLUTION PVT LTD.
• Purchased and installed the SIP server infrastructure.
• Rented a server from Datafirst in Ahmedabad for testing purposes and planned to expand to Indore and Madhya Pradesh.
• Has education up to 10th standard.
• Has a criminal history related to visa fraud in Karnal, Haryana.

Anurag Gupta

• A telecom and call center expert with 18 years of experience.
• Set up the technical infrastructure including servers and VoIP routing.
• Was introduced to Lovekesh in jail and later joined hands post-release.
• Holds a Master’s degree in Commerce (M.Com).
• Has a previous criminal record for a similar cybercrime in Sonipat, Haryana.

Charges Filed

A case has been registered under:

• Sections 54, 61(2)(a), 204, 308(2), 316(2), 318(4), 319(2), 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
• Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
• Section 25(C) of the Indian Telegraph Act.

This operation is a significant achievement by Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch in curbing international cyber fraud. The arrest of Lovekesh Kumar and Anurag Gupta has uncovered a deep-rooted network involving international actors and sophisticated VoIP technologies. Authorities are continuing the investigation to identify and nab other collaborators and to dismantle the entire syndicate.
Cybercrime knows no borders, but neither does the arm of the law. Stay alert, stay safe.