People apprehended in Bihar are involved in cybercrime, including two minor boys. 46 mobiles, three laptops, fake stamps and data sheets of many companies have been found from these people who fall in the age group of 15 to 40 years.
Nawada police arrested 31 persons reportedly involved in cybercrime on February 15 in Thalposh village of Pakri Barawan in the Nawada district of Bihar.
According to the police, the people apprehended are involved in cybercrime, including two minor boys. 46 mobiles, three laptops, fake stamps and data sheets of many companies have been found from these people who fall in the age group of 15 to 40 years.
Thalposh village of Pakri Barawan block came into the news on February 15 when a team of Nawada Police caught 31 people on the basis of secret lead.
When the BBC team reached the Bihar’s village five days after the incident, only old men and women and young children were seen. No youth was seen working in the fields too. The villagers were looking at every outsider with suspicious eyes. But in the midst of this silence that spread in the village, the faint voices of lamentation could be heard.
Sharveela Devi was crying. His 19-year-old son Gulshan Kumar has also been arrested by the police. Gulshan had passed the 10th examination first division from Sardar Patel High School, Khonandpur in the year 2019. He had also received 10 thousand rupees as an incentive from the Bihar government.
“With the same money he had bought a smart phone. Later he failed in the Inter examination and he sold his old phone and bought a new one”, said Sharveela.
Sharveela gets 400 per month from the government as widow pension. She lives in a very small house that barely can accommodate her and with her son Gulshan. Only thing that is kept with care is a black suitcase in which Gulshan’s document is kept to show the potential of Gulshan.
Mukesh Kumar Saha, sub-divisional officer of Pakri Barawan block said, “These people used to cheat by luring people for setting up a tower, getting a gas agency and at present, they lured people for getting an agency of electronic scooter. By getting SIMs registered with fake IDs, they used to contact potential customers across the country. And if the customer got caught in their ploy, they used to collect registration charges, processing fees and even issue the agency’s approval letter.
He explaineed, “The accounts in which these people used to get money are being marked and frozen. Apart from this, the Economic Offenses Unit is also investigating at its level by taking information from the local police station.”
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Talking about the whole incident, on February 15, a team of Nawada Police reached the village around one o’clock in the afternoon. Here the police arrested most of the youth present in the field. The police did not go to the residential part of the village, but arrested the people present in the farm itself.
My Son is Innocent
People of all castes live in Thalposh village with a population of about 3,000. Most of the people of the village do farming, labor or private work in other states.
The minor son of Bhushan Thakur, a barber by profession and Solo Devi, has also been arrested by the police on February 15 on charges of cybercrime. Bhushan Thakur, the father of five children, roams around the village, cutting hair and shaving.
Bhushan Thakur said, “the boy is the youngest among my children and he has his matriculation examination which he is not able to write. His elder brother had given him a smart phone a month ago. He had gone to the field the police caught him.”
Patna High Court has been expressing concern
The Patna High Court has been expressing concern from time to time over the issue of cybercrime.
Recently, in the hearing held in January 2021 in the case of Shiv Kumar Vs Bihar Government and 11 companies including Facebook, Twitter, the Superintendents of Police of Nawada, Nalanda and Sheikhpura informed the court that the information of criminals arrested in cyber cases will be given to DG (Income Tax Department), the Deputy Director of Enforcement Directorate, Patna.
The court had expressed the hope that after investigating such cases, action would be taken under the Money Laundering Act and the Income Tax Act.
The court had said that in cases of cyber fraud, the local police are not able to work very effectively. The court also held that cybercrime can happen only when the details of bank accounts and phone numbers of the account holder are given to cybercriminals by the employees working in the bank itself.
In this case also, Nawada Superintendent of Police Dhurat Sayali Savalaram said, “According to the order of the court, information about this matter will also be given to the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate.”
Meanwhile, the Economic Offenses Unit is also taking this issue seriously.
A few days ago, Nayyar Hasnain Khan, Additional Director General of Police, Economic Offenses Unit, held a meeting regarding the cybercrimes after which the authority told the media, “Patna, Nalanda, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Gaya and Jamui districts are the hotspots of cybercrime. A standard operating procedure is being created to deal with it.”
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