Tamil Nadu engineer reveals how he scammed Japanese professor. Police hunt on for global cybercrime ring

Mechanical engineer Vigneshwar Muruganandham, arrested for allegedly duping a Japanese professor working at a Delhi institute of ₹7 lakhs, has revealed to police how the cybercrime happened, The Times of India reported.

From applying for a job opportunity to unwittingly joining a Chinese cybercrime syndicate, Muruganandham, 30, who hails from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, was caught for “digitally arresting” the professor, the report said.

Police have arrested him and four others and said that they were part of a larger cybercrime group based in Cambodia.

Journey into a Chinese Cybercrime Ring

During interrogation Muruganandham revealed that he was part of a Chinese cybercrime syndicate in Cambodia. He was offered a job at the “company” and was directed to open multiple bank accounts in India before leaving, the report said. He entered Cambodia in April 2024 and after some time realised that his accounts were being used to transact amounts that he was not privy to. He also realised that there were as many as 20 Chinese nationals working with him, the report added.

He told police the cybercrime ring targetted India and neighbouring countries while “employees” were divided according to their expertise to work on telecom and computer-related jobs, it said.

How the Scam Happened

Muruganandham further told the police that over time he realised that his “company” was not the only one doing such work and there were multiple opportunities on Telegram. He thus decided to quit the “job” and try the tricks of the trade on his own, the report said.

He returned to India and began supplying his Cambodian contacts with bank accounts to earn large commissions. In was in such an operation that he was arrested, along with five others, for duping a Japanese national working in New Delhi, the report added. The case came to light early in January.

Information from Delhi Police

Delhi police DCP (southwest) Surendra Chaudhary confirmed to the paper that Muruganandham was linked to a cybercrime syndicate in Cambodia.

Police identified the other arrested as four people as: Mohit Bahot (22), Yogendra Kumar (26), Vipul Kumar B Raval (35), and Birendra Kumar Shaw (42) — hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal, respectively, the report added. Police have registered a case under sections 318 (cheating) and 419 (cheating by personation) of the BNS, it said.