Crime branch busts fake call centre run by Delhi bizman, arrests 12 persons

They put advertisements on social media offering cheaper plane tickets to get “business” for the fake call centre. After receiving complaints, the police tracked the fraud and raided the premises. The accused has so far spent over ₹2 crore on advertisements

MUMBAI: The crime branch has busted a bogus call centre for luring unsuspecting flyers under the pretext of selling cheaper air tickets on Friday, and arrested 12 people from Mittal Commercia at Marol, Andheri.

The police on Friday night arrested Mridul Johsi, 45, and his brother Abhishek Alias Anshuman, who is still at large and also arrested eleven more employees including a team leader and a designer who used to design advertisements for the frauds (HT Photo)

The call centre was run by a Delhi-based businessman, who was earlier arrested by the police for embezzlement of ₹16 crores from a co-operative bank and his brother.

Unit 8 of the Mumbai crime branch headed by Mahesh Desai and Laxmikant Salunke raided the Marol-based commercial property on Friday night and arrested Mridul Johsi, 45, and his brother Abhishek Alias Anshuman, who is still at large. “We also arrested eleven more employees including a team leader and a designer who used to design advertisements for the frauds,” said a police officer.

They put advertisements on social media offering cheaper plane tickets to get “business” for the fake call centre. After receiving complaints, the police tracked the fraud and raided the premises. The accused has so far spent over ₹2 crore on advertisements.

They have been running this business since 2020, from Delhi but later relocated the entire team to Mumbai six months ago. Joshi is an engineer who has worked with several corporates, and later, he and his brother Abhishek were involved in the alleged embezzlement of ₹16 crores from Alwar Urban Cooperative Bank in 2016.

Abhishek was also associated with Sangamitra Bank in the city. He had also invited job applications in the name of one Deutsche Group and later purchased credit cards in people’s names, said the police officer.

He even tried to purchase Kerala-headquartered Dhanlaxmi Bank. The police alleged that they have information that Abhishek is also associated with a ruling political party in Delhi.