US praises CBI crackdown on cyber fraud targeting American citizens

The United States has praised the CBI for busting a transnational cybercrime network that defrauded American citizens of USD 8.5 million through tech-support scams, calling it a strong example of US-India law enforcement cooperation

New Delhi: The United States has praised CBI’s efforts in busting a transnational cybercrime network that conned the US nationals of USD 8.5 million through tech-support scams, calling it a “great example of US-India partnership in action”.

In a message posted on ‘X’, the US Embassy in India said, “Thanks to strong law enforcement cooperation, our two countries are hard at work keeping our citizens safe!” “A great example of #USIndia partnership in action! In coordination with the @FBI, India’s CBI disrupted a transnational cybercrime network that defrauded US nationals of $8.5 million through tech-support scams. @CBIHeadquarters arrested those behind the network and recovered significant illicit proceeds,” it said.

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Based on the inputs from the FBI, the CBI teams began a crackdown in Noida last week, where the six suspects were intercepted red-handed while swindling US citizens. The agency arrested Shubham Singh, Daltanlian, George T Zamlianlal, L Seiminlen Haokip, Mangkholun, and Robert Thangkhankhual in connection with the fraud.

The teams also conducted searches in Delhi and Kolkata, resulting in the seizure of Rs 1.88 crore cash, 34 electronic devices, including mobile phones, laptops, pen drives, hard disks, and incriminating documents related to the crime, officials said

From 2022 to 2025, the accused operated under pseudonymous identities of US Government officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the FBI, and the Social Security Administration (SSA), threatening US citizens that their social security numbers (SSN) had been used for money laundering and drug deliveries and that all their assets would be frozen.

The accused coerced the victims into remitting USD 8.5 million over three years to cryptocurrency wallets and overseas bank accounts under their control, the CBI had said in a statement.