{"id":27366,"date":"2026-01-11T00:14:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T00:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/11\/from-assams-hinterland-to-global-scam-rings-how-morigaon-became-a-cybercrime-hotbed-tech-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T00:14:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T00:14:50","slug":"from-assams-hinterland-to-global-scam-rings-how-morigaon-became-a-cybercrime-hotbed-tech-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/11\/from-assams-hinterland-to-global-scam-rings-how-morigaon-became-a-cybercrime-hotbed-tech-news\/","title":{"rendered":"From Assam\u2019s Hinterland To Global Scam Rings: How Morigaon Became A\u00a0Cybercrime Hotbed | Tech News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"story-9822924\">\n<p><span class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-3759419209\">Last Updated:<\/span><time class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-3759419209\">January 11, 2026, 05:42 IST<\/time><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asubttl-9822924\" class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262 asubttl-schema\">Police investigations have revealed operational links to handlers in Pakistan and Southeast Asia, raising serious national security and financial crime concerns<\/h2>\n<div id=\"artshare\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 artshare\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 stickdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 deskwrapstkdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 fontchange\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/font.svg\" height=\"30px\" width=\"30px\" alt=\"font\" title=\"font\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 lazyload\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 artsharwrp\"><a href=\"https:\/\/web.whatsapp.com\/send?text=From%20Assam%E2%80%99s%20Hinterland%20To%20Global%20Scam%20Rings%3A%20How%20Morigaon%20Became%20A%C2%A0Cybercrime%20Hotbed - %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/www.news18.com\/tech\/from-assams-hinterland-to-global-scam-rings-how-morigaon-became-a-cybercrime-hotbed-9822924.html%3Futm_source%3Dwhatsapp%26utm_medium%3Dsocial_share%26utm_campaign%3Dnw18english%0D%0A %0D%0A Get the latest news anytime, anywhere. Install News18 app for free! %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/onelink.to\/website-share-eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 sclrnd wapp social_share\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 notifycnt social_share\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_share_icon.svg\" alt=\"new share icon\" title=\"new share icon\" width=\"8\" height=\"9\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 social_share\"\/><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_whatsapp_icon.svg\" alt=\"new whatsapp icon\" title=\"new whatsapp icon\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 social_share\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262\">\n<figure class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262 amimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Investigators report that criminal syndicates, including operatives from Rajasthan and Haryana, chose Morigaon\u2019s remote areas to establish full-fledged cybercrime bases. (Representational image)\" title=\"Investigators report that criminal syndicates, including operatives from Rajasthan and Haryana, chose Morigaon\u2019s remote areas to establish full-fledged cybercrime bases. (Representational image)\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg?impolicy=website&amp;width=400&amp;height=225\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Investigators report that criminal syndicates, including operatives from Rajasthan and Haryana, chose Morigaon\u2019s remote areas to establish full-fledged cybercrime bases. (Representational image)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"0\" class=\"story_para_0\">Morigaon district in Assm has become a covert command centre for organised cybercrime. Police investigations have revealed operational links to handlers in Pakistan and Southeast Asia, raising serious national security and financial crime concerns.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1\" class=\"story_para_1\">Investigators report that criminal syndicates, including operatives from Rajasthan and Haryana, chose Morigaon\u2019s remote areas to establish full-fledged cybercrime bases. From these secluded locations, they allegedly operated call-centre-style scam operations, trained recruits, and executed frauds worth hundreds of crores, often evading detection for months.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2\" class=\"story_para_2\">At the core of these networks is large-scale identity fraud. Fake Aadhaar cards were systematically used to obtain tens of thousands of SIM cards under single identities from across the country. These SIMs were the backbone of phishing, vishing, and \u201cdigital arrest&#8221; scams, draining savings from ordinary citizens and causing massive losses to banks.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3\" class=\"story_para_3\">Police investigations have uncovered staggering financial crimes. In several instances, fraudsters allegedly secured bank loans running into hundreds of crores using forged documents and fabricated identities. Once the money was siphoned off, the accused vanished without a trace. The funds were then laundered through mule accounts and routed abroad, ultimately landing in accounts linked to handlers in Pakistan and Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4\" class=\"story_para_4\">The scale of the operation has prompted a major crackdown. Assam Police have arrested more than 300 cybercriminals in Morigaon district alone. Nearly Rs 2 crore has been recovered and returned to victims. In one of the largest SIM-related seizures in the state, over 72,000 SIM cards were confiscated and deactivated\u2014many registered in Assam but found active near the India-Pakistan border.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5\" class=\"story_para_5\">Investigators have also flagged a troubling recruitment pattern. Some youths who migrate to cities such as Bengaluru and Kerala for employment are allegedly being exposed to cyber-fraud ecosystems there. On returning to Assam, they are believed to be absorbed into local cybercrime networks, strengthening Morigaon\u2019s role as a training and execution hub.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6\" class=\"story_para_6\">With Morigaon now firmly exposed as a cybercrime hotspot with international money trails, Assam Police, working closely with central security and intelligence agencies, have intensified operations to dismantle these syndicates, choke funding routes, and prevent the district from becoming a permanent base for transnational digital crime.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262 atbtlink Location\"><span>Location :<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Guwahati [Gauhati], India, India<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>January 11, 2026, 05:40 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/tech\/\">tech<\/a>  <span class=\"brdout\"> From Assam\u2019s Hinterland To Global Scam Rings: How Morigaon Became A\u00a0Cybercrime Hotbed<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-972816262 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/tech\/from-assams-hinterland-to-global-scam-rings-how-morigaon-became-a-cybercrime-hotbed-9822924.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:January 11, 2026, 05:42 IST Police investigations have revealed operational links to handlers in Pakistan and Southeast Asia, raising serious national security and financial crime concerns Investigators report that criminal syndicates, including operatives from Rajasthan and Haryana, chose Morigaon\u2019s remote areas to establish full-fledged cybercrime bases. (Representational image) Morigaon district in Assm has become&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}