Incriminating materials, including SIM boxes used to make multiple calls or send bulk messages, a laptop, mobile phones, and pre-activated SIM cards, were seized from the criminals.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In a coordinated operation, the Central and Tamil Nadu security agencies have thwarted attempts by a gang of cyber criminals to establish a base in Tamil Nadu.

Acting on inputs, officials of the Bureau of Immigration detained two Malaysian nationals of Chinese origin — Liang Rong Sheng and Chan Meng Hong — who were preparing to board an international flight here on Monday night, while the Crime Branch-CID of the Tamil Nadu Police arrested two of their accomplices — S. Gopalakrishnan and C. Anand — in the city.

T.S. Anbu, Inspector-General of Police, CB-CID, told The Hindu on Thursday that the suspects had shortlisted a few locations along the IT Corridor in Chennai to set up scamming centres. Incriminating materials — including SIM boxes used to make multiple calls or send bulk messages, a laptop, mobile phones, and pre-activated SIM cards — were seized from them. The gang had finalised a flat at Sholinganallur to establish their first base.

Investigation revealed that Liang Rong Sheng had worked for a Chinese gaming company in Laos. The firm was suspected to be providing back-end support and customer care for an online gambling site. The duo arrived in India on July 27 this year on tourist visas and stayed for two months. Gopalakrishnan and Anand told investigators that they had worked in the gaming company a few years ago and had contacts with the two foreigners, he said.

Though the initial plan was to establish a scamming centre in Mumbai, the gang found the city expensive and settled for Chennai. They had set up SIM boxes in the Sholinganallur flat, but it could not send bulk messages owing to a technical issue. They put the plan on hold and decided to look for more gadgets and technical support later, Mr. Anbu said.

According to police sources, the Malaysian nationals had links to fraudsters operating out of Southeast Asian countries, especially Cambodia and Laos. They planned to shift base to India after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) got thousands of SIM cards — used for online gambling and scams — deactivated.

Even as efforts were being made to locate hundreds of youths believed to be trapped in Cambodia, where they are allegedly confined to heavily guarded compounds of scamming centres and forced to undertake illegal cyber work to cheat gullible people in India, law-enforcement agencies have stepped up efforts to prevent more youths from walking into the trap of the agents offering lucrative jobs abroad.

Youths sensitised

In the last few days, at least 10 youths who entered the international airport here to board flights to some Southeast Asian destinations were intercepted by officials and sensitised to the impending danger. “They understood the gravity of the issue and returned home. We rescued them from getting trapped in cyber scam factories. Efforts are being made to locate the agents who arranged the jobs and recover the money paid to them as commission,” a senior police official said.

Officials of agencies working at the airport were intercepting lone travellers or even those travelling in small groups to these countries and questioned them about the purpose of their visit. “Once it is established that their travel is for employment, we explain to them the sufferings of many youths who either escaped from the clutches of the gangsters in those countries or are still struggling there. While the Government of India is taking steps through diplomatic channels to rescue those still enduring cyber slavery, we are educating youths seeking jobs abroad on the risks of going through illegal agents,” the senior police official said.