Delhi police bust major cybercrime network in ‘Operation CyHawk 4.0’, over 600 arrested

In a major crackdown on organised cybercrime, Delhi Police arrested over 600 people and rounded up more than 8,300 suspects during “Operation CyHawk 4.0” , conducted on April 6 and 7.

Led by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, the operation aimed to dismantle the financial and operational backbone of cybercrime networks, marking a shift toward proactive, intelligence-led policing. Authorities focused on mule bank accounts, illegal call centres, and intermediaries involved in routing defrauded money.

Following nearly a month of intelligence gathering in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), police carried out simultaneous raids across multiple districts. A total of 8,371 individuals were detained for questioning , of whom 1,429 were arrested or bound down after strong financial and technical links to cyber fraud were established. Additionally, 2,203 notices were issued to suspected participants in the financial chain.

Among those arrested was the son of a Delhi-based eatery chain owner , accused of allowing his bank account to be used to channel stolen funds in exchange for a three per cent commission .

The operation resulted in 499 new FIRs and breakthroughs in 324 pending cases . Police linked 3,564 complaints from the national cybercrime portal to suspicious accounts and traced over ₹519 crore in defrauded funds.

Authorities also identified and shut down illegal call centres running scams such as fake job offers, digital arrest frauds, and customer-care impersonation.

Officials said the operation was launched to counter the rising scale and sophistication of cyber fraud. Accused individuals may face charges under the Information Technology Act and IPC, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment of up to seven years or more .

Police have urged citizens to stay vigilant and avoid sharing sensitive financial information.