In a major international crackdown on cyber fraud, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted two illegal call centres operating out of India that were involved in duping Japanese citizens through a fake tech support scam. The coordinated operation, conducted in partnership with Japan’s National Police Agency and Microsoft Corporation, led to the arrest of six individuals on May 28, 2025.
Acting under “Operation Chakra V,” the CBI conducted extensive raids at 19 locations across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. During these searches, several electronic devices, incriminating documents, and digital evidence were seized. The arrested accused include Ashu Singh from Delhi; Kapil Ghakhar from Panipat; and Rohit Maurya, Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj, and Adarsh Kumar from different parts of Uttar Pradesh.
According to the CBI, the illegal call centres posed as legitimate Microsoft technical support services. Callers reached out to unsuspecting Japanese users, falsely claiming that their computers were infected with viruses or were compromised in some way. Using social engineering tactics, the scammers convinced victims to give remote access to their systems and then pressured them into making payments for unnecessary “technical support services.”
Victims were often asked to transfer large sums of money to bank accounts controlled by the scam operators. These payments were framed as charges for fixing fabricated issues with their devices. The operation ran for several months, possibly years, targeting hundreds of Japanese nationals before coming under the radar of authorities.
This operation was the result of close cooperation between Indian and Japanese law enforcement agencies and the private sector, particularly Microsoft, whose name was fraudulently used to lend credibility to the scam.
The arrests and seizures mark a significant step in combating cross-border cybercrime.The CBI stated that additional investigations are underway to identify more people involved and trace the money trail.
Authorities have also urged citizens to be cautious while dealing with unsolicited tech support calls and to report suspicious activity to relevant cybercrime units immediately. The case highlights the growing need for global coordination to tackle international online fraud effectively.
