Cyber Cell of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday said to have successfully recovered 68 missing or stolen mobile phones and cracked a significant online financial scam in Ganderbal.
The phones, collectively worth lakhs of rupees, were traced after numerous public complaints were received over the course of this year, officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
A dedicated team from the Cyber Cell, led by Sub-Inspector Gowhar Nazir and supervised by Additional SP Malik Aijaz, worked tirelessly to locate and recover the stolen devices.
Out of the 68 recovered phones, 50 have already been returned to their rightful owners, while the remaining 18 are in the process of being reunited with their legal owners.
Gratitude Expressed:
Two individuals, who received their phones back, expressed their gratitude to the Cyber Cell for the swift action.
Rameez Ahmed told KNO that he had lost all hopes after his phone was stolen a few months ago. “I thank the Ganderbal Police for their dedication in recovering it. They not only helped me get my phone back but also reassured me that justice would prevail,” he said.
Sajad Ahmad, another victim, said, “I had to report my stolen phone sometime back, but I never imagined I would get it back. Thanks to the Ganderbal Police Cyber Cell especially Inspector Gowhar Ahmad for working so hard to track it down. I’m incredibly relieved and grateful for their prompt action.”
In addition to the recovery of stolen phones, the Cyber Cell has made significant strides in solving online financial fraud cases.
In one case, Rs 1,63,449 were successfully recovered and refunded in the victim’s account.
Furthermore, an amount of Rs 11,45,669.08 was put on hold following multiple complaints of fraudulent transactions. The Cyber Cell also solved over 44 cases related to blackmailing and social media account hacking.
The Cyber Cell has urged the public to exercise caution when using mobile phones and other electronic devices to avoid falling victim to cybercrimes. It advised citizens to immediately report any suspected cyber fraud through the online portal cybercrime.gov.in or directly to the Cyber Cell in Ganderbal.
To prevent the frauds, the officials have issued multiple advises to the people, asking them never share sensitive information like Aadhaar, PAN card details, or financial OTPs with anyone, avoid clicking on suspicious links received from unknown sources, use strong, unique passwords and enable two-step verification for accounts, refrain from conducting financial transactions over public Wi-Fi networks and limit the amount of personal information shared on social media platforms.
By following these precautionary measures, individuals can better protect themselves from falling victim to cybercrimes—(KNO)
