Bokaro: In a major crackdown on cybercrime, the inspector general (IG) of police (North Chotanagpur range, Bokaro) Sunil Bhaskar, directed all units in the districts of the range to verify suspected mobile numbers identified by the ‘Pratibimb App’ as involved in cybercrime and initiate legal action. Acting on the directive, police registered 15 FIRs and arrested 57 cybercriminals between October 1, 2025, and February 16, 2026, across seven districts under the North Chotanagpur range of the district.Bhaskar said, “A large quantity of digital devices, banking instruments and vehicles were seized during the operation. The recovered items included 132 mobile phones, 168 SIM cards, 31 ATM cards, three four-wheelers, seven two-wheelers,three Aadhaar cards, eight PAN cards, one labour card, one voter ID card, one driving licence, seven bank passbooks, three cheque books, 23 registers/notebooks, Rs 4.67 lakh in cash, and WhatsApp chat records used as digital evidence.”A consolidated report of the action taken between January 19 and February 16, 2026, revealed that 2,064 suspected mobile numbers linked to cybercrime were verified across the range, he added.In Giridih, 788 suspected numbers were examined, leading to eight FIRs and the arrest of 28 accused. Police seized 55 mobile phones, 78 SIM cards, seven ATM cards, one Scorpio SUV, six motorcycles, and Rs 4.43 lakh in cash, among other documents. In Ramgarh, the verification of 50 suspected numbers resulted in one FIR and the arrest of one accused.Meanwhile, in Chatra, action was taken against 27 suspected numbers, leading to the registration of a case and the seizure of seven mobile phones, 18 SIM cards, three ATM cards, six passbooks, three cheque books, and WhatsApp chat screenshots. In Koderma, 43 suspected numbers were verified, resulting in two FIRs and two arrests.Hazaribag saw the verification of 296 suspected numbers, leading to three FIRs and the arrest of 20 accused. The seizures included 51 mobile phones, 54 SIM cards, 23 registers, a Maruti Brezza car, a KIA Sonet car, 20 debit/credit cards of various companies, and five PAN cards.In Dhanbad, 720 suspected numbers were identified, and one FIR was registered while six accused were arrested. In Bokaro, 140 suspected numbers were verified, leading to one FIR. Police seized 13 mobile phones, 12 SIM cards, one ATM card, one passbook, and Rs 24,000 in cash.IG Bhaskar said, “The intensified verification drive under the ‘Pratibimb App’ will continue.” He appealed to citizens to immediately report suspicious calls, online fraud attempts, and dubious financial transactions to the nearest police station or the cyber helpline.
