“Operation Prahaar” An Uttarakhand Police Operation on Nationwide Cybercriminals Crackdown -

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“Operation Prahaar” An Uttarakhand Police Operation on Nationwide Cybercriminals Crackdown

Uttarakhand Police’s Historic Cybercrime Operation, widely known as “Operation Prahaar,” Sends a Powerful Message Across the Nation.

The nation’s first state police agency to simultaneously conduct a multi-state cyber crackdown throughout India is Uttarakhand.
Over 65 cybercriminals were identified and prosecuted as a consequence of coordinated operations by 23 specialized teams throughout 17 states, including Delhi-NCR. Additionally, notifications were served at the homes of 30 accused individuals who had fled.
Seven cybercriminals have been charged with crimes and placed in jail, while six more have had bailable warrants issued against them.
As a persistent battle against cybercrime, Operation “Prahaar” is still in progress, with personnel stationed throughout several states.

The Genesis and Execution

STF Uttarakhand was given the task of stopping cross-state cybercrime networks under the strategic leadership of Director General of Police Shri Deepam Seth. SSP STF Shri Navneet Singh promptly followed the directive and designated the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions’ Cyber Crime Police Stations to spearhead the effort.

One of India’s top cybersecurity figures and national trainers, DySP Cyber Ankush Mishra, who has led cybersecurity response teams throughout the nation and resolved high-profile cyberattacks, painstakingly organized the operation.

In 17 states, including Delhi-NCR, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, Goa, and more, the STF Cyber Units sent out 23 expert teams, led by Inspector Tribhuwan Rautela (Garhwal) and Inspector Arun Kumar (Kumaon). These teams included trained Cyber Commandos, certified by the I4C and prestigious institutions like IIT Kanpur and NFSU Delhi.

Coordination between local police, cybercrime departments, and technical agencies was done during a 42-day period. 52 defendants, many of whom had been evading capture for months, were charged after the teams tracked down digital footprints, including phone numbers, bank accounts, IP logs, and social media trails. Additionally, 30 absconders received warnings at their residences, seven jail inmates were booked under new cybercrime cases, and six bailable warrants were executed.

Key Achievements:

In India, more than 290 cybercriminals were targeted.
225 defendants were discovered to have opened bank accounts and acquired mobile SIMs under false pretenses.
Cyber Commando Units provide real-time technological validation and cross-border collaboration.
During the verification process, one accused person was discovered dead.
A robust legal deterrent has been put in place for fraudsters nationwide.

Highlights of State-wise Action:

State	Team Leads	Key Offences	Action Taken
Telangana	Addl SI Gopal, Cons Prakash	OTP fraud, Fake call centres, Loan app scams	Action against the 06 accused
Delhi-NCR	Addl SI Manoj, Addl SI Sunil Bhatt, Cons Mukesh	Online fraud, OTP fraud	Action against 44 accused
Karnataka	Addl SI Mukesh, Cons Sadab	Bitcoin scams, Tech support frauds	Action against 15 accused
Uttar Pradesh	SI Kuldeep Tamta, Addl SI Sumer, Cons Sudheesh, Cons Vikas	QR code, Digital loan frauds	Action against 33 accused
Tamil Nadu & Kerala	Addl SI Suresh, HC Sarvan	Digital payment frauds	Action against 34 accused
West Bengal	Addl SI Vinod Bisht, Cons Praveen	Bank frauds, call centre scams	Action against 33 accused
Rajasthan	Cons Nitin, Cons Gaurav	Fake websites, QR scams	Action against 31 accused
Maharashtra & Goa	Cons Sohan, Cons Mahesh	Dating app fraud, financial scams	Action against 25 accused
Gujarat	HC Deepka, Cons Jitendar	Fake e-commerce sites	Action against 22 accused
HP, Punjab, Haryana	HC Pawan	Fake call centres, OTP fraud	Action against 23 accused
Madhya Pradesh	SI Raman Bisht, Cons Neeraj	Fake customer care scams	Action against 13 accused
Andhra Pradesh	SI Himmat, Cons Yogeshwar	Social media fraud, impersonation	Action against 12 accused

Challenges Faced During the Operation:

Some of the prime challenges faced during the operation are jotted down:

Language barriers: Communication was difficult due to regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, and Gurmukhi.
Geographical hurdles: Teams worked in hard-to-reach, densely populated metropolitan areas.
Cultural adaptation: In the early stages, coordination was delayed due to dietary and cultural differences.
Fake identities: Verification was impeded by the use of fake addresses and falsified documents.
Local resistance: Locals supported some of the accused, thus law enforcement had to be extra cautious.

Leadership & Vision

Because of SSP STF Shri Navneet Singh’s strong leadership and unrelenting dedication to proactive policing, this first-of-its-kind operation was made possible.

The strategic execution under the leadership of DySP Shri Ankush Mishra, whose nationally recognized proficiency in cybercrime investigation and training was crucial to planning and operational coordination, was equally important. Under his direction, interagency coordination, digital intelligence analysis, and efficient team deployment were all made possible.

Public Awareness Appeal

The public is urged by the Uttarakhand STF to stay vigilant and report cybercrime right away by:

? Helpline 1930

? www.cybercrime.gov.in

The best defense against cybercrime is awareness. Be careful and educated.

This operation represents a significant step against India’s cybercrime ecosystem. Additionally, it reaffirms Uttarakhand Police’s position as a national leader in interagency coordination and cyber enforcement. To break up digital crime networks nationwide, coordinated cyber operations of this magnitude will continue.

About The Author:

Yogesh Naager is a content marketer who specializes in the cybersecurity and B2B space. Besides writing for the News4Hackers blogs, he also writes for brands including Craw Security, Bytecode Security, and NASSCOM.

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“Operation Prahaar” An Uttarakhand Police Operation on Nationwide Cybercriminals Crackdown