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ED may probe fake call centre racket busted in Panchkula
So far, five accused from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir have been arrested. One of them had previously worked at a Mohali-based legitimate call centre before starting his own operations
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to probe the fake call centre racket busted by Panchkula police last month. A senior police officer told HT that the case involves ‘hawala’ transactions and suspected money laundering, which requires a specialised investigation to unearth the entire network.
During the probe, police discovered that the daughter of a retired telecom department inspector was actively involved. The name of a Haryana Police sub-inspector has also surfaced. He allegedly facilitated the racket while posted at the State Cyber Crime Police Station in Panchkula before being transferred to Jind. Police are making efforts to arrest him. Sources said he had already been booked in a criminal case in 2024.
Police revealed that three call centres were running for the past six months to a year from two buildings in IT Park, Sector 22. In late-night raids on August 21, police had detained 85 employees. Officials said none of them have been given a clean chit yet—many may be chargesheeted, while some could be made approvers.
So far, five accused from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir have been arrested. One of them had previously worked at a Mohali-based legitimate call centre before starting his own operations. Police said the gang was targeting US citizens by offering fake services for streaming platforms like Dish Network and running fraudulent schemes such as the “Obama Welfare Initiative.” The racket is estimated to have earned nearly ₹10 lakh per day.
Police have contacted two victims in the US through email but many others remain hesitant to cooperate, fearing further harassment. To build a stronger case, investigators are seeking assistance from foreign agencies, including the FBI. “If victims do not come forward, it may weaken our case in court,” a senior officer admitted.
Laptops, mobile phones, CPUs and other gadgets seized during the raids contained details of victims, call scripts, chats and material related to sextortion and IT experts are examining the devices to extract further evidence, a senior officer told.
