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India to share info on cybercrime investigation, call centre scams with U.K.

February 27, 2026 4 min read Internal Security International Relations GS3 (Internal Security Cybersecurity) GS2 (International Relations Bilateral Agreements)
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What Happened

  • India has committed to sharing information on cybercrime investigations and call centre scam operations with partner countries, marking a significant expansion of its international law enforcement cooperation architecture.
  • A joint investigation involving India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), and Microsoft dismantled call centres operating from India that had defrauded over 650 victims in the United States of more than $48 million since 2022.
  • India's CBI conducted raids on a Noida-based fraud call centre following 18 months of international collaboration, arresting six syndicate leaders.
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs formed a high-level inter-departmental committee to address digital arrest scams and strengthen cybercrime enforcement.
  • India is strengthening the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre's (I4C) coordination with INTERPOL and Southeast Asian nations to dismantle cross-border scam networks.

Static Topic Bridges

Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C)

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) was established by the Ministry of Home Affairs as the national nodal agency to combat cybercrime in a coordinated manner across India. It provides a comprehensive framework for law enforcement agencies to deal with cybercrime through seven functional components: the National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit, the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in), the Platform for Joint Cybercrime Investigation Team, the National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory, the National Cybercrime Training Centre, the Cybercrime Ecosystem Management Unit, and the National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre. A key function of I4C is coordinating implementation of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) with other countries related to cybercrimes.

  • National Cybercrime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in (helpline: 1930).
  • I4C facilitates real-time information sharing and coordinated investigations across states and Union Territories.
  • Citizens can report financial fraud immediately through Cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 to freeze fraudulent transactions in a short window.
  • I4C coordinates with financial institutions, payment gateways, and telecom providers to freeze accounts used in fraud.

Connection to this news: I4C is the institutional backbone through which India will route the new international information-sharing commitments — its MLAT coordination role is central to enabling cross-border cybercrime investigations.

Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) are bilateral or multilateral agreements under which countries agree to cooperate in criminal investigations and proceedings. MLATs allow law enforcement agencies to request and share evidence, witness statements, bank records, digital forensic data, and surveillance information across national boundaries — capabilities that cannot be exercised unilaterally due to state sovereignty. India has signed MLATs with approximately 42 countries (as of 2019), including the United States, the United Kingdom, and several Southeast Asian nations. MLATs are administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (for law enforcement cooperation) and the Ministry of External Affairs (for formal treaty mechanisms). They are distinguished from general extradition treaties, which deal with transfer of accused persons.

  • MLATs cover: service of process, search and seizure, testimony, asset forfeiture, exchange of information.
  • Cybercrime is particularly suited to MLAT mechanisms because digital evidence routinely crosses borders.
  • The absence of an MLAT or informal sharing arrangement creates legal barriers — evidence gathered abroad may not be admissible in Indian courts without proper channels.
  • India is also part of INTERPOL, which facilitates international police cooperation through notices, diffusions, and databases (including the I-24/7 secure communication network).

Connection to this news: India's commitment to share cybercrime investigation information with other countries formalises and expands the MLAT-based cooperation that enabled the Noida call centre bust — making the framework more proactive and systematic rather than case-by-case.

Transnational Cybercrime: Call Centre Fraud Ecosystem

India-based call centre scams represent a distinct transnational organised crime typology. Fraudsters set up call centres (often in Tier-2 cities), impersonate government officials (IRS, Social Security Administration, UK HMRC, Australia ATO), tech support personnel, or law enforcement, and extort money primarily from elderly victims in Western countries via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. These operations exploit India's large English-speaking workforce, relatively low wages (which reduce operating costs), and previously inadequate international enforcement cooperation. The 2024 NCRB data indicates cybercrime in India itself saw a 24% spike in 2025, with losses of approximately ₹22,495 crore reported.

  • Call centre scams are often operated by transnational organised crime syndicates using money mule networks for fund transfers.
  • "Digital arrest" scams — where fraudsters impersonate CBI/police officials and hold victims under fake video surveillance — have become prevalent in India.
  • The IT (Amendment) Act 2008 and Information Technology Act 2000 provide the primary domestic legal framework for prosecuting cybercrimes.
  • Section 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by impersonation) of the IT Act are the key provisions invoked.
  • The inter-ministerial committee formed by MHA also addresses international money transfers used to siphon proceeds abroad.

Connection to this news: India's willingness to share call centre scam investigation data with foreign partners addresses the structural feature of this crime — the perpetrators are in India while victims are abroad, requiring both countries' agencies to build cases simultaneously.

Key Facts & Data

  • CBI-FBI-NCA-Microsoft joint operation dismantled call centres defrauding 650+ US victims of over $48 million since 2022.
  • India has signed MLATs with approximately 42 countries.
  • India's cybercrime helpline: 1930; reporting portal: cybercrime.gov.in.
  • National Cybercrime Reporting Portal operates under I4C, Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • Cybercrime in India: ~24% spike in 2025, ₹22,495 crore in reported losses.
  • I4C's 7 components cover analytics, forensics, training, reporting, investigation, ecosystem management, and R&D.
  • "Digital arrest" scams now under the purview of MHA's inter-departmental committee.