Two foreigners held in call centre fraud were planning to flee India, say police

Gurugram: A day after 13 persons, including two foreign nationals, were arrested for allegedly duping thousands of people, police said the two foreigners were planning to flee the country

Published on: Mar 2, 2023, 22:37:25 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Gurugram: A day after 13 persons, including two foreign nationals, were arrested for allegedly duping thousands of people, police said the two foreigners were planning to flee the country. Police said their visas are valid till March 8.

Gurugram, India-March 02, 2023: (C)Priyanshu Dewan, ACP Cyber Crime and Preet Pal, ACP Crime address a press conference after arrested the 13 people including two foreign-origin Konstantin Phillips (citizen of Latvia), Albert Saribekyan aka Peter (citizen of Uzbekistan), who allegedly cheated by fraudulently investing money in the stock market, in Gurugram, India, on Thursday, 02 March 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)(Pic to go with Leena Dhankar's story)

Police said the kingpin of the gang is based in Israel and had sent two of his managers to set up a call centre in India. The suspects were identified as Konstantins Filipous of Latvia and Albert Saribekyan alias Peter of Uzbekistan. They are aides of the main suspect who has been identified but not arrested.

Priyanshu Diwan, assistant commissioner of police (cyber), said the suspects had started the call centre in January last year and started hiring candidates with telemarketing experience. “After giving proper process training, they were given scripts to make calls and dupe victims,” he said.

ACP Diwan said the call centre employees allegedly lured the victims with the promise of high returns on investments in cryptocurrencies and international shares. The victims invested money and roped in other investors to earn commission.

Police said the investors saw money being deposited in their e-wallet accounts, but they were small amounts to gain confidence of the victims. Later, the fraudsters used to block them.

Police have recovered six laptops from the Udyog Vihar call centre.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said the suspects had duped at least 3,000 victims, including foreign nationals. “Earlier they were operating from Riga in Latvia,” he said.

Sangwan said the employees of the call centre were well aware of the fraud but did not raise an alarm as they were getting good incentives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More