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4 clusters · 16 sources · 24 days · First seen · Last updated

Indian police crackdowns on illegal call centres

Overview

Indian law enforcement agencies have conducted several operations to dismantle illegal call centres operating fraudulent schemes targeting international victims.

In Delhi, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit raided a facility in Pitampura, arresting eleven individuals, including two women. This syndicate allegedly defrauded American victims of approximately Rs 100 crore by using malware and software such as ‘Ultra Viewer’ to gain remote access to computers. Victims were prompted by fraudulent pop-up messages to call a toll-free number, after which operators impersonated technical support staff and bank officials. To increase pressure, the group reportedly sent fraudulent documents appearing to be from the FBI and other American agencies. Victims were coerced into purchasing digital gift cards or transferring funds via Bitcoin. Police seized Rs 41 lakh in cash, 29 laptops, 25 mobile phones, and an SUV.

In Goa, cyber crime police raided a villa in Bambolim, arresting ten people. This group allegedly impersonated Apple Support Centre personnel using spoofed US telephone numbers and VoIP services. Victims were deceived by pop-up messages claiming their iOS/iCloud accounts or Apple devices were compromised, leading them to make payments through gift cards, Zelle, PayPal, and USDT. Authorities seized nine laptops, nine cellphones, and various networking equipment.

In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, authorities dismantled a loan settlement scam led by Jignesh Zalavar. This group targeted foreign nationals by posing as bank lawyers offering reduced settlement rates. After obtaining lead data via Microsoft Teams, the suspects used WhatsApp and Telegram to facilitate unauthorized credit card withdrawals. Investigators found that approximately 50 per cent of the scam proceeds were processed through Bitcoin, with the remaining funds collected via cash through hawala channels. Seven individuals, including Zalavar and six data entry handlers, were arrested.

Entities

Delhi Police · Gurugram · Gurugram Police · Goa Cyber Crime Police · United States

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. [CRIME] 7 sources
    Pitampura fake call center busted in 100 crore cyber fraud case

    Delhi Police busted a fake call center in Pitampura, arresting 11 people for an international tech support scam involving approximately 100 crore rupees in fraud targeting US citizens.

  2. [CRIME] 6 sources
    Gujarat Police bust illegal call centre targeting foreign nationals

    Gujarat police busted an illegal call centre in Ahmedabad that targeted foreign nationals with a loan settlement scam, using Bitcoin and hawala channels to process fraudulent proceeds.

  3. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Indian police dismantle fake call centres targeting US victims

    Police in Delhi and Goa have arrested multiple individuals for operating fake call centres that defrauded US citizens through tech-support scams and impersonation of Apple personnel.

  4. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Gurugram police bust fake call centre targeting US citizens

    Gurugram police arrested 11 people for operating a fake call centre that targeted US citizens with fraudulent technical support and FTC threats to extort thousands of dollars.

Sources

aajtak.com · bhaskarhindi.com · desitalkchicago.com · latestly.com · navhindtimes.in · nayalook.com · news18.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · pratahkal.com · punjabkesari.com · samacharnama.com · socialnews.xyz · thecsrjournal.in · tv9hindi.com · webdunia.com · yespunjab.com

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history