Navi Mumbai police bust call centre that allegedly defrauded US citizens of over Rs 12 crore.
97 workers found, 20 arrested, and 61 bank accounts linked to the cyber fraud.
Raid reveals WhatsApp investment scams and ransomware tactics used to target victims.
Police in Navi Mumbai on Thursday said they have dismantled a fake call centre in Turbhe that allegedly carried out cyber frauds totalling at least Rs 12.29 crore, mostly targeting US citizens, and arrested 20 people in connection with the operation. According to PTI, investigators said the scale of the crime appears large and several accused remain at large.
The Navi Mumbai Cyber police station and the Crime Branch conducted the raid after receiving a tip-off on 18 November that a call centre was operating under the cover of multiple bogus companies to defraud people, PTI reported. A joint police team uncovered two separate methods of offending at the premises.
Investigators found 97 persons working at the site. In the first scheme, employees allegedly approached US-based citizens through WhatsApp groups, enticing them with promises of high returns on stock-market investments. Separately, the operation is accused of carrying out ransomware and malware attacks on the computers of American victims, an official statement said.
The raid exposed what the police called a "massive scale of the financial crime", with several WhatsApp numbers and multiple bank accounts being used by those present at the location, the statement added.
Reported PTI, the transactions of 71 bank accounts—whose details were provided to US citizens and others for fraud—were examined. Out of these, 61 accounts showed transactions amounting to a total of Rs 12.29 crore. Some accounts were cross-checked on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) maintained by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which revealed 31 cyber-fraud complaints registered across the country.
Police seized 108 computers, 38 mobile phones and five GSM servers from the premises, officials said. A case has been registered at the Cyber police station in Thane under Sections 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 319(2) (punishment for cheating by personation) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.
So far, 20 accused have been arrested and remanded in police custody until 23 November by a local magistrate, the police said. The statement warned: "The scale of the crime is very large and many wanted accused are involved. After a thorough technical investigation of the crime, the amount of fraud is likely to increase further."
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing as they pursue other suspects and carry out a detailed technical probe into the network and the flows of funds. According to PTI, police indicated the financial impact could rise as inquiries progress.
(With inputs from PTI)
