In a major overnight operation on 13 and 14 May 2024, the Cyber Crime Division of the Punjab Police dismantled two fake call centres operating in Mohali, leading to the arrest of 155 individuals. The arrested individuals were accused of duping numerous US residents through fraudulent calls, according to police reports.
According to a report by Hornbill TV, about 20 Naga youths working in fake call centers were also arrested in Chandigarh recently. This information came to light through a phone call from one of the accused’s brothers and may be related to the same case although the correlation between the incidents is yet to be independently established by this newspaper. The number of arrested youths is expected to be confirmed by tomorrow.
The Indian Express reported that both fake call centres were located in Mohali Sector 74 and were run by Gujarat-based kingpins who are now absconding. The police have launched a hunt to arrest them.
V Neeraja, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) for Cyber Crime, stated that police teams conducted raids after identifying the call centre locations. During the raids, authorities confiscated 79 desktop computer units, 204 laptops, numerous mobile phones, and various accessories. Of the 155 arrested employees, 18 were placed under police remand, while the remaining were sent on judicial remand.
The police explained that the fake call centres targeted people in the US by offering low-interest loans, even to those with poor credit scores, and charging fees for the service. The victims were instructed to buy gift cards in the hope of securing a loan, which were then immediately redeemed by the fraudsters.
Another fraudulent method involved impersonating Amazon representatives, threatening customers with legal action over alleged illegal items in their orders, and demanding payments via cash apps or Amazon gift cards to cancel the orders. The gift card numbers were shared with partners in the US, who redeemed them and sent cash through hawala to the kingpins in India. Customer information data was provided to these call centres by brokers.
Additionally, some victims encountered pop-up messages on their computers warning of system compromises. These messages prompted victims to call a provided number, leading them to download an application that allowed the fraudsters to view their screens and transfer money from their bank accounts.
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