Assam Police Launches Massive Statewide Crackdown On Fraudsters, 330 Held
The detainees are allegedly linked to a range of crimes such as luring people with false promises of settling police cases, impersonating police officials, making threatening calls, and extracting money through fraudulent messages and financial schemes. Police have been intensifying action against such frauds amid a reported rise in related cases registered across the state
Guwahati: Assam Police launched a major statewide crackdown on fraudulent activities early on Saturday, detaining around 330 people accused of involvement in various scams, including impersonating police personnel, phone-based threats, and financial frauds.
Director General of Police (DGP) Harmeet Singh told reporters that the special drive began early Saturday on the instructions of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. “Around 330 people, accused of being involved in various fraudulent activities, have been arrested in a crackdown since early Saturday,” the DGP said.
He pointed out that the operation was still going and that the number of arrests was expected to rise further. Some suspects have been traced to locations outside Assam, including Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and efforts are underway to bring them into custody, he said.
The detainees are allegedly linked to a range of crimes such as luring people with false promises of settling police cases, impersonating police officials, making threatening calls, and extracting money through fraudulent messages and financial schemes. Police have been intensifying action against such frauds amid a reported rise in related cases registered across the state.
Informing that the coordinated action spanned across 29 districts, he said that in one instance, 20 alleged fraudsters and touts were detained in a night-long operation in Kokrajhar district, drawn from areas under Kokrajhar Sadar, Bagribari, Fakiragram, and Gossaigaon police stations.
“Separately, 33 people were arrested in the Boko–Chhaygaon co-district area of Kamrup for running an organised racket of cheating and extortion near police stations and outposts, where they allegedly approached distressed public members offering “assistance” for money, he said.
The DGP said, “We could trace digital links through technical analysis and since 3 am on Saturday, the operation has started where, till now, almost 330 have been identified and caught. Cachar remains at the top among all the districts to record maximum arrests under the operation.”
The DGP said that the legal process and investigation are underway, cautioning that individual verification would be necessary in several cases as the person operating a WhatsApp account may not necessarily be the person in whose name the mobile number is registered.
He said that several individuals identified during the crackdown were located outside Assam, with SIM locations linked to places including Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
“Many of the individuals identified under the crackdown are traced outside the state, with SIM locations found linked to Hyderabad, Bangalore and others. We will also bring them back,” said Mr Singh, clarifying that the precise nature of the alleged offences would emerge after investigations and the registration of FIRs. Several of those caught were suspected to be operating in teams or gangs, he added.
“Our attempt is to clear this environment to ensure that citizens do not face any difficulty. That is why this operation has been carried out,” the DGP said.
