Jamtara hacked, cyber crooks log in from Asansol

If you receive an SMS warning that your house’s electricity supply will be disconnected in a few hours, or a job offer that sounds too good to be true, chances are it originated in Asansol, an industrial town in Bengal, not far from the state’s border with Jharkhand.

With law enforcement agencies swooping down on Jamtara, a poor Jharkhand district that has become notorious for cybercrime across India, the gangs based there have shifted base to pockets of Asansol, less than 40km away. And while earlier they deceived people by telling them their debit card had been blocked or bank account deactivated, now they have new tricks.