Mumbai Police on Tuesday said that it raided a fake call centre that was operation from Goregaon area and was allegedly involved in cheating Americans.
The police said that as many as 13 people have been arrested in the matter and multiple equipment used to defraud US nationals has been seized by the officials.
According to the police, the Mumbai Crime Branch`s unit 12 busted that unauthorised call centre at Goregaon East in suburban Mumbai, which was involved in defrauding US citizens by impersonating antivirus companies.
The police said, acting on a tip‑off, the fake call centre was operating on the 7th floor of a commercial complex in Goregaon East.
“The call centre sent emails to US citizens, claiming that their antivirus software such as `Greeksquad` and McAfee needed renewal. These emails included toll-free numbers. When US citizens called, they were told they must buy gift cards worth 250–500 US dollars. Those working at the call centre then converted the gift cards into cryptocurrency, thus cheating the callers,” said an official.
He added that when the Mumbai Crime Branch team raided the place on September 15 following a tip off, they found the call centre operational. The officials who verified phones and computers found at the site and confirmed the alleged fraudulent activity.
“The police seized 15 computers, 10 laptops and 20 mobile phones. Among those arrested were two owners or operators, one manager, and ten telecaller agents,” said an another official.
A case has been registered under several sections along with sections of the Information Technology Act and the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and thirteen accused have been arrested in the matter, the police said.
It said that the entire operation was led under the guidance of senior police officials, including Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Additional Commissioner (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam, and Deputy Commissioners, Crime Branch, Mumbai. The team that conducted the entire operation was headed by Inspector Sachin Gawas and other officials including Balasaheb Raut, Vijay Raskar, Ajay Sawant, Altaf Khan, Sunil Chavan, Bal̤akrishna Limhaṇa, and others crime branch officials.
“The accused will be produced before a court for police custody and further investigations in the matter will follow,” said an official.
