In the heart of Jharkhand, India, Jamtara is known for something entirely different—its bustling cybercrime industry. Jitu is no ordinary scammer, however. His ascent to infamy serves as a powerful example of the increasingly prevalent forms of digital disinformation sweeping the continent. Jamtara has become a hub for scamming through mobile apps and phone calls, with locals taking pride in duping the rich and famous.
It was his introduction to the complicated world of cyber scams, from which Jitu would later receive recognition for his skills and excellence. By 2019, he contested and won the position of president of Kherbari’s Dalit community, illustrating his influence within the village. The Dalit community, which makes up 11% of India’s population, is extremely deprived, making the enticement of cybercrime more tempting than ever.
The fraud schemes coming out of Jamtara have developed with India’s growing digital economy. Jitu only recently disclosed the mechanics behind one of his scams. He demonstrated a fraud in which he promised 4,999 rupees through a mobile wallet company. The scheme worked by sending one-time passwords (OTPs) to unwitting victims through SMS in order to siphon off their financial resources.
“Sir! I am very sorry; I have made a huge mistake. You must have received another SMS from your bank saying 4,999 rupees has been deducted from your account. It’s all my fault – I pressed the wrong button at my end. Sir, please don’t raise a complaint. I will get into trouble. The company will fire me right away. I will have to sleep on the street. My family will starve.” – Jitu
When the scamming started to get out of control, law enforcement finally got involved. Beginning in 2015, police from multiple states flooded down on Jamtara to stop the growing cybercrime epidemic. Jitu felt this impact first-hand when police unlawfully arrested him during a predawn raid. He ultimately spent 93 days behind bars before his eventual release.
Despite all these risks, Jitu painted a glamorous picture of the adventure tied to a life of fraud. He explained what prison would mean for him and everyone actively doing the same thing. The thrill includes the possibility of imprisonment.
“Even going to jail is part of the adventure. Money is not the only reason they take the risk of arrest. There is also maza in what they do.” – Brahmin businessman selling construction supplies
The local con artists, Jitu among them, created a cash economy completely outside the law to keep their grift going. They may leave their equipment for safekeeping with people they know in their communities who would not raise police suspicion.
“We didn’t always keep those things at home. That would have attracted too much attention. Instead, I entrusted some of those items to the Brahmins in my village. They agreed to store them on the condition that they could keep some items for themselves.” – Jitu
This cooperation spotlights the compelling social and cultural complexities at play in Jamtara. Caste plays an outsized role in not only inter-community ties but intra-communal crime there as well.
Jitu’s story symbolizes more than personal aspiration, a community and people’s fight versus systemic inequality. In so doing, he voiced the hopes and anger felt by countless others in his community, reclaiming their right to change their reality.
“Think about this: long after India was liberated from colonial rule, we were still serving upper-caste people… But today, we have become aware of our rights.” – Jitu
This knowledge breeds a deep anger towards those who’ve kept their community down, often for generations.
“This angers them. They give our names at the police stations.” – Jitu
Even against this backdrop of violence and unrest, con artists such as Jitu still have the ability to ply their trade. To operate, they do a dangerous dance between risk of arrest and desire for financial freedom.
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