The Mulund police have busted a fake international call centre operating from a residential flat in Mulund West, arresting five people who allegedly duped citizens in the United States and Canada by posing as officials of a US-based bank offering payday loans. According to the police, Senior Police Inspector Ajay Joshi of Mulund police station received a tip-off from confidential sources about a racket being run in the Mulund Colony area, where individuals were extorting money from foreign nationals under the guise of loan processing.
A police team laid a trap and conducted a raid at the location, where they found that Sagar Gupta was running a fake call centre with four operators. The accused impersonated officials of an organisation named LendingPoint, contacting citizens abroad through international e-SIMs and virtual numbers to offer instant “payday” loans. The arrested individuals include Sagar Gupta, Abhishek Suryaprakash Singh, Shailesh Shetty, Tanmay Kumar Singh, and Rohan Mohammad Hussain Ansari.
What is Lending Point?
LendingPoint is a legitimate US-based fintech company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 2014, it provides unsecured personal loans and point-of-sale financing to American consumers through licensed lending partners.
The bogus operation
To make their operation appear authentic, the accused shared fabricated loan approval documents with unique application numbers and demanded USD 90-150 as processing fees.
Police said the accused used professional language and forged paperwork to gain victims’ trust. However, once the processing fee was paid, they would immediately cut off contact. During the raid, police seized two laptops, 11 mobile phones, two routers, and R76,000 in cash. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act, and Telecommunication Act at Mulund police station.
The police team comprised PI Shivaji Chavan, API Sunil Karande, and Manoj Patil, among others. Officials said timely intelligence and swift verification helped dismantle the racket. All seized electronic devices will undergo forensic analysis to retrieve data, call logs, and messages to identify victims and trace the money trail.
How fake loan call centre was run
>> Operated from a residential flat in Mulund Colony, posing as officials of US-based lender LendingPoint
>> Used international e-SIMs and VoIP numbers to contact citizens in the US and Canada
>> Promised instant payday loans — a popular short-term loan abroad
>> Collected USD 90-150 as “processing fees” for fake loan approvals
>> Shared forged documents and fake application numbers to appear legitimate
>> Employed four trained operators using foreign accents and scripted pitches
>> Ran without a licence, using multiple phones, laptops, and routers to evade detection
>> Earned profits through high-volume, low-amount fraud targeting foreign nationals
