World

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US along with police officers in over a dozen countries cracked down on mafia groups, crime syndicates and criminal networks as part of operation "Trojan Shield" leading to the arrest of 800 people worldwide.

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The FBI, along with the drug enforcement administration, Australian police, Europol and other law enforcement partners launched their own encrypted communications platform and supplied more than 12,000 devices to criminal organisations that operate around the globe, the US law enforcement agency said.

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The FBI and Australian police launched an encrypted communication platform and sold thousands of encrypted devices to criminal groups throughout the world, the US agency revealed.

"Criminal organizations that rely on hardened, stripped-down devices to send encrypted messages may learn this week they have been using a platform operated by the very investigators they are trying to thwart," the FBI said.

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Operation Trojan Shield was conceived by Australian police and the FBI three years ago.

Suzanne Turner, FBI's San Diego special agent-in-charge said: "The FBI received a copy of each and every message that originated outside the United States which were reviewed and then disseminated to law enforcement agencies in 40 countries."

Turner informed that 9,000 law enforcement officers participated in Monday's crackdown on criminal gangs.

Australian police informed that 200 people have been charged as Sweden arrested 155 people. Finland said it had arrested 100 people. In Germany, 70 people were detained with several arrests in the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The FBI said that the operation will have far-reaching, "long-term transnational effects on these organizations and their ability to communicate and coordinate their criminal activities."

(With inputs from Agencies)