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Fake call centre busted in Mohali, 4th in a month
According to police officials, the centre, which had been operational for the last 8 to 10 days, was in the name of Rohit Mehra, who is among those arrested. Others arrested were identified as Jitesh Kumar of Ludhiana, Anvar Rodrix of Goa, Somdev and Anthony of Kolkata, and Budha Bhushan Kamle of Pune. The alleged mastermind, Alex, is absconding.
A fake call centre, operating from Industrial Area Phase 8B, was busted with the arrest of six persons on Wednesday.
The accused had allegedly duped foreign nationals of nearly ₹16 lakh through a fake tech-support scam.
This is the fourth such call centre to be busted in the last month.
According to police officials, the centre, which had been operational for the last 8 to 10 days, was in the name of Rohit Mehra, who is among those arrested. Others arrested were identified as Jitesh Kumar of Ludhiana, Anvar Rodrix of Goa, Somdev and Anthony of Kolkata, and Budha Bhushan Kamle of Pune. The alleged mastermind, Alex, is absconding.
The accused were sent to a five-day police remand, during which their backgrounds will be investigated.
Their modus operandi involved targeting foreign nationals through Google ads and fake pop-ups, falsely warning about technical glitches. Victims were convinced to call back, after which they were tricked into buying Apple or Walmart gift cards for fake antivirus updates. The accused would then steal the gift card codes and siphon off funds.
“We are currently investigating the case and verifying the backgrounds of the arrested individuals. Further details will emerge as the inquiry progresses. We are also examining whether there is any possible connection between this case and previously busted fake call centre operations in the region, said SP Deepika Singh.”
An FIR has been registered under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the IT Act. Police have recovered three mobile phones, six laptops, and other digital devices.
Growing cyber fraud ops in Mohali
June 23: The anti-narcotics-cum-special operations cell of Mohali Police busted two fake call centres running from Phase 7, arresting 10 people. The accused impersonated PayPal agents, informing victims their accounts were compromised and convincing them to buy gift cards. The gang used cryptocurrency and hawala channels to move the stolen funds.
June 23: In a parallel raid, a fake travel agency named MS Wyenwa Travel Pvt Ltd was busted on the third floor of the same building. The agency ran a website, trialpro.com, offering fake discounted airfares to foreigners and stealing their credit/debit card details under the pretence of booking flights.
June 18: Mohali cyber police dismantled a fake call centre running out of a flat in Sector 91, which was allegedly part of a ₹50 crore pan-India scam involving fake alerts about cryptocurrency transactions. Eight individuals, including a woman, were arrested.
