Fake call centre near Mumbai: Mastermind honed skills by working at various call centres

Mumbai city news: Police probe revealed Devesh Yerlekar worked at different call centres in Thane before setting up his own call centre to dupe US nationals

Investigation into the Ambernath fake call centre revealed that one of the eight accused, who were arrested on Thursday, is the scam’s mastermind. Devesh Yerlekar, 27, a resident of Ambernath, was operating the fake call centre for the past two years. Yerlekar duped US nationals by offering them loans. The fake call centre was busted on Thursday.

After learning the nitty-gritties of operating a call centre, Yerlekar approached Jaya Ramesh Gunjal, an owner of a call centre in Thane, to start a bogus call centre. (Representational photo)

Investigations also revealed that Yerlekar had worked at different call centres in Thane before setting up his own call centre. During his stint as an employee, the accused learnt how to contact US nationals through VOIP calls.He then used his knowledge to make easy money.

After learning the nitty-gritties of operating a call centre, Yerlekar approached Jaya Ramesh Gunjal, an owner of a call centre in Thane, to start a bogus call centre.

“It was Yerlekar who pitched the idea of operating a bogus call centre to make easy money. They made around Rs8 lakh a month by duping US nationals on the pretext of giving them loans,” said an officer from Thane crime branch.

Officers said Yerlekar was produced in court and remanded in police custody till June 14. They said more arrests are likely to be and would use information given Yerlekar to trace the money trail.