Barely two and a half months after Lucknow Police busted a fake international call centre operating from the Summit Building and arrested 119 people, another such centre allegedly targeting US citizens has been found operating in the city.
Sixteen people, including four women, were detained after police raided the centre at Ridhya Plaza near Novelty Cinema in the Kapurthala area of Aliganj on Friday morning. Police said the employees allegedly posed as technical and software support executives and used calls with US citizens to obtain their personal and financial details.
DCP (North) Amit Kumar Anand said the centre came to the police notice during morning patrolling after officers received information about suspicious activities on the premises. A suspicious person was first questioned, following which a team raided the office.
According to the preliminary investigation, the centre allegedly handled calls from US citizens who contacted helplines over computer or software-related problems. The employees allegedly posed as technical support staff, offered to resolve the problems and subsequently sought access to personal and financial information, police said.
“The investigation is underway to ascertain who was operating the centre, how calls from US citizens were being routed to the Lucknow office and the extent of the financial fraud,” Anand said.
{{/usCountry}}“The investigation is underway to ascertain who was operating the centre, how calls from US citizens were being routed to the Lucknow office and the extent of the financial fraud,” Anand said.
{{/usCountry}}Police said the Aliganj office had been rented around four months ago, while most of the employees had joined between one and three months earlier. Local residents had reportedly raised concerns about the activities at the office and said the employees did not appear to carry identity cards.
The raid began early in the morning with the centre vacated and all 16 people taken into custody for further questioning. Police are now examining the centre’s operations, communication channels and digital material to establish the alleged modus operandi, identify those running it and determine the extent of the suspected financial fraud.