Fake call centre busted in west Delhi, 11 arrested

Police have busted a fake call centre operating from west Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, officers aware of the matter said on Wednesday, adding that 11 people have been arrested in connection with the case

Police have busted a fake call centre operating from west Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, officers aware of the matter said on Wednesday, adding that 11 people have been arrested in connection with the case.

TOPSHOT - A Delhi police barrier blocks a street during a Delhi state-wide weekend curfew imposed by the authorities to curb the spreading of the Covid-19 coronavirus in New Delhi on January 8, 2022. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP) (AFP)

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Harsha Vardhan said the fake call centre was disguised as a medicine supply store and was run by a man identified as Faisal, adding that the team allegedly cheated over 1,700 people of ₹1 crore on the pretext of providing them loans easily.

According to police, the matter came to light after they received information that an illegal call centre was operating out of Bal Udhyan Road in Uttam Nagar.

“During enquiry, Faisal misled the investigators by claiming that he was running the cited call centre for selling medicines. He even kept some medicines on the counter to mislead the team,” DCP Vardhan said, adding that on sustained interrogation, it was revealed that all his employees would call their victims to offer loans, against which would ask for a fee amount to be deposited.

The investigation revealed that the call centre had been operating since February this year. “A total of 29 registers containing a list of contacted persons depicting money or amount of transactions were recovered. The amount cheated by these persons is likely to exceed ₹1 crore,” the DCP said.

Police said further enquiry revealed another suspect, identified as Ghaziabad resident Paras, had taken the office space on lease. He is currently absconding and efforts are being made to nab him, officers said.

Apart from Paras, three other people were involved in the fake call centre, police said, adding that they would provide backend services like bank accounts to collect money and sending bulk SMSs regarding loans. “Their details are being ascertained in this case and efforts are being made to nab these accused persons,” the DCP said.