The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has taken a major step to crack down on cybercrime and spoofed international calls, disconnecting over 2 lakh fraudulent mobile connections as part of an initiative to curb fraudulent activities.
The DoT said that the spoofed international calls and cybercrime originated from South East Asian countries, including Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The department identified approximately 4.8 lakh fraudulent mobile connections operating in South East Asian countries and disconnected 2 lakh such connections. It also said that the action is underway against the remaining 2.8 lakh such connections.
In addition to targeting mobile connections, the department also identified 6,200 handsets involved in these fraudulent activities and blocked them to curb their misuse.
"This crackdown comes in the wake of the launch of an international spoofed calls prevention system, reflecting DoT's proactive measures to ensure the security of India’s digital and financial ecosystems," a government statement said.
In a post on X, the DoT also said that the government has blocked 17,000 WhatsApp accounts used by cyber criminals from South East Asia. The government said that the initiative was aimed at disrupting offshore criminal networks and country's digital security.
"I4C, in collaboration with DoT, has successfully blocked 17,000 WhatsApp accounts used by cyber criminals from South East Asia. The initiative aims to disrupt offshore criminal networks and strengthen India's DigitalSecurity," Cyber Dost, the government's handle for Cybercrime Awareness said in the post.