The Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Branch has dismantled a sophisticated cybercrime racket running an executive impersonation fraud known as the ‘BOSS Scam.‘ Working alongside the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), authorities secured more than 10,000 compromised devices and arrested two key operatives from West Bengal.
Key Highlights of the Case:
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Modus Operandi: Cybercriminals impersonated corporate executives or RBI officials by sending malicious ZIP files containing executable malware via WhatsApp or email. Once opened on WhatsApp Web, attackers hijacked the session to instruct company finance staff to execute urgent fund transfers.
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International Syndicate: The malware was engineered by Chinese cyber syndicates and deployed through call centers in Islamabad, Pakistan, with funds routed through China-based VPNs to obscure tracks.
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Local Network Arrests: Suspects Imran Ali Piyada and Injamul were arrested for enabling the syndicate’s telecom logistics. Imran, a telecom point-of-sale agent, misused customer biometric data to generate pre-activated dummy SIMs and sell WhatsApp/e-commerce OTPs online.
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Scale & Impact: Authorities linked nearly 4,500 seized SIM cards to 251 cybercrime complaints across 26 Indian states, neutralizing potential losses running into crores of rupees.
