8 held for running fake call centre in S Delhi, duping UK nationals

According to the police, the accused targeted foreign nationals using voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP)-based calling setups, foreign databases and forged communication tools

New Delhi

Police said the setup was designed to resemble a legitimate international customer-support facility. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Delhi Police arrested eight persons, including a woman, from Satbari village in south Delhi, for allegedly operating a fake call centre targeting UK nationals. Locals said one of the accused is the son of a politically connected person, but police refused to share further details.

According to the police, the accused targeted foreign nationals using voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP)-based calling setups, foreign databases and forged communication tools. Investigators said the accused were all fluent in English and called UK nationals to tell them that their PCs or laptops had viruses. They would then send links to the victims, on the pretext of helping them. After the victims would click on the link, the accused would gain access to their systems, hack it and blackmail them using their data or media.

A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said, “We had received information about the centre days back and on Wednesday, the team raided the premises and caught all eight. They are all fluent in English and have managed to cheat hundreds of victims. We found that the main accused fled moments before the raid and is currently absconding. A special team has been formed to trace him.”

Police on Thursday said the main accused, identified as Sanu, is still on the run. He is a repeat offender who has been named in multiple call centre frauds, police said. Five months ago, they were working from another location, police said.

During the operation, police found that the building used for the call centre was registered in the name of Sanu’s younger brother, Rehan. The house has been sealed and police said forensic and crime teams were called.

A second officer said, “A large quantity of electronic equipment was recovered from the spot, including multiple computer systems, mobile phones, VoIP software, foreign data sets and documents.”

Police said the setup was designed to resemble a legitimate international customer-support facility. The arrested accused are being questioned to ascertain the scale of the operation.