Tamil Nadu steps up cyber fraud fight with key arrest and e‑Zero FIR system

The Crime Branch‑CID in Tamil Nadu arrested a key accused in a cyber‑slavery and overseas‑employment fraud that trafficked Indian youth to Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos to work in cyber scam centres. Victims were lured with promises of high‑paying call‑centre jobs, forced to run fake Bitcoin investment scams, had their passports seized and were subjected to physical and mental abuse. The suspect was intercepted at Bengaluru International Airport after arriving from Malaysia via Bangkok and a charge sheet has been filed.

In a separate initiative, the Tamil Nadu government introduced an e‑Zero FIR system that automatically registers cyber‑financial fraud complaints reporting losses over Rs 1 lakh made through the 1930 helpline. The system integrates reports with the CCTNS, forwards them to the jurisdictional cyber‑crime police station and enables faster freezing of transactions, preservation of digital evidence and recovery of funds. Victims receive an SMS confirmation and are asked to authenticate the complaint within three days under the BNSS 2023.